In The Darkness
by Spunky0ne
Summary: As the war with the quincys ends and Byakuya recovers, Tetsuya acts a surrogate, bearing the Kuchiki heir. But as he returns from the living world after the birth, he disappears into the precipice world, forcing Byakuya and Renji into a desperate and dang
1. The Vessel

**In the Darkness**

**By Spunky0ne**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**(For more than a few readers who have PM'd saying essentially "You know Spunky, this is going to sound weird and kinda perverted, but would you consider writing a story that includes an Orochi/Tetsuya _I shouldn't love you, but I do_ romance?" So, yeah, after the last few chapters of Blue Eyes, Silent Tears, the idea became a little tempting. So Bya/Ren, will share the spotlight with Orochi/Tetsuya as a sinful little bonus! Enjoy!)**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: The Vessel**

"Tetsuya."

Tetsuya immediately recognized the gentle fingertips that touched his face and struggled against the blackness that surrounded him. He dimly registered that, as had been the case when he had been made to sleep, he was still locked into soft restraints at the wrists, waist and ankles, and that whatever he had been given to make him sleep was in the process of wearing off. He scented the odd, sterile smell of the infirmary and deduced that he had not yet been returned to his cell. He forced his heavy lidded eyes open and looked up into the face of the other young prisoner who attended him.

"There now, you're awake," the other youth said, smiling down at him.

"Naoki," Tetsuya managed sleepily, "but how did you...?"

"I had myself assigned to infirmary duty so that I would be here," Naoki explained, "How are you feeling, Tetsuya?"

"It hurts a little inside," the younger teen admitted, "but it is not too bad."

A worried look overtook his youthful features, prompting Naoki to squeeze his hands gently and kiss him lightly on the mouth.

"Were you able to find out what they were doing to me?" Tetsuya asked, "They wouldn't tell me anything."

"I am not sure what they did," admitted Naoki, "but you don't look hurt or altered in any way I could see. I don't know what experiment they were conducting, but it seems that you came through it okay. I'm glad. I was worried for you. But when I came on duty, you were already here and recovering."

Naoki paused for a moment.

"But _he_ was here."

"Orochi?"

"You know that is _Orochi-sama_ to you, half-blood," said a low, haughty voice from behind Naoki.

Tetsuya flinched within his bonds, and Naoki's hands clenched the younger teen's protectively. Still groggy and in pain from whatever had been done to him, Tetsuya was tempted to defy his older cousin, but seeing the concern for him in Naoki's eyes, he bit back what he wanted to say and forced out the words that Orochi wanted.

"S-sorry, Orochi-sama," he whispered, choking on the words.

Orochi stepped forward and glared down at his restrained cousin.

"That is better," he commented, looking about, as though distracted.

His brow furrowed suddenly, and he looked down at the two prisoners thoughtfully.

"Unbind him," he ordered Naoki, "And take him to my quarters."

Naoki's eyes flared.

"Orochi-sama, you cannot possibly use him for sex now! He was just...!"

Naoki went silent as Orochi backhanded him across the face, sending him crashing to the floor.

"Damn you, STOP!" yelled Tetsuya, struggling weakly, "Naoki! Naoki, are you all right?"

Naoki climbed shakily to his feet, one hand held to his reddened cheek. Orochi's black eyes blazed warningly.

"I won't tell you again," he hissed softly, "Take Tetsuya and the two of you go to my room, now. If you do not obey me, I will have the two of you thrown into the pit for a few days and see how you like that! Now go!"

At the mention of the punishment pit, Naoki went white and quickly moved to loose Tetsuya from his restraints, then helped him to his feet. Seeing how his face paled and he leaned against his brown-eyed cellmate, Orochi scowled, but offered the youth a quick infusion of reiatsu.

"That will keep you on your feet," he said shortly, "Now, move!"

He led them out of the infirmary and down several corridors until they came to the officers' rooms. As they passed through Orochi's bedroom door, Tetsuya noticed that his cousin's personal effects had been removed, and all that seemed to be left was the furniture and bedding.

"Lie down before you fall down," Orochi said brusquely, shoving the two into the room and closing the door behind him.

"Orochi-sama," said Naoki, reaching towards Tetsuya's waist to undress him, "What is going on? Where are...?"

"That's not your concern," Orochi snapped, "And I didn't say to undress him, you idiot. Just put him in bed."

Tetsuya's eyes clouded in confusion, but Naoki gave a sigh of relief and helped his cellmate into the bed.

A hell butterfly drifted into the room and Orochi turned away to take the message. While he was distracted, Naoki leaned over Tetsuya and squeezed his hand gently. Tetsuya's wide, sapphire eyes looked across the room to where Orochi stood with his back to them.

"I wonder what is going on with him," Naoki whispered, "Usually, he just starts making us have sex with him."

"I don't know," admitted Tetsuya, "but I don't like this. Why are his things gone? Does it mean that something is going to happen? N-naoki, do you think that...that he brought us here to kill us?"

"Tetsuya, don't say such things!" Naoki whispered reprovingly, "He was probably just worried because word came that Byakuya-sama was going to invade the prison. Now, lie still and try to rest while I think of something to do..."

Orochi whispered something to the hell butterfly and sent it fluttering away, then turned back to the two prisoners.

"Stay here and don't leave this room," he ordered them, "I mean it. If you leave while I am gone, I will have you both whipped to within an inch of your lives. Do you understand?"

"Hai, Orochi-sama," Naoki replied grudgingly.

"Tetsuya?" Orochi said, glaring down into his cousin's frightened eyes and raising his reiatsu warningly.

"H-hai, Orochi-sama," Tetsuya said, tightening his lips in protest.

Orochi nodded briefly and started to leave, but then paused at the door and turned back.

"Just to make sure that you don't get any ideas," he muttered, walking back to the two.

Tetsuya's breath caught softly and Naoki's expression darkened as Orochi bent and bound Tetsuya's wrists to the bedpost with kido, then exited the room, pausing to set a kido lock on the door. Naoki climbed onto the bed as he left and wrapped his arms around Tetsuya.

"I hate him so much!" hissed Naoki, "If it's the last thing I do, I'll get you and me away from him, Tetsuya."

He started to go on, but was interrupted by the sound and rumble of a heavy explosion, followed by the sounds of battle cries and screams. The faces of the two prisoners paled.

"Tetsuya!" Naoki said urgently, "It must be Byakuya-sama! He has come to save us! We have to...!"

They looked down at the kido ropes that bound Tetsuya's wrists to the bedpost. Naoki took a determined breath and grabbed the golden ropes, pulling on them and tearing at them as another explosion rocked the prison and sounds of fighting rose up all around.

"That bastard!" snapped Naoki, "He must have _known_ that Byakuya-sama was coming and he knew that we would be able to identify him as one of the ones who held us here and beat and raped us! He _wants_ us to die, Tetsuya! He brought us here so that Byakuya-sama couldn't find us! But we won't let him get away with that!"

Tetsuya watched with sad eyes as Naoki continued to struggle with the ropes, but after a few minutes, closed his eyes and put a staying hand on the other boy's shoulder.

"Naoki...stop."

Naoki froze for a moment, then shook his head determinedly and continued his efforts.

"You should get out of here," Tetsuya urged him, "Please, Naoki, I don't want anything bad to happen to you!"

"Don't be ridiculous," the brown-eyed youth chided him, "I am not going to leave you here for that beast to kill or...or whatever else he might be planning. Byakuya-sama has come, and we are going to get out of here!"

He worked harder at Tetsuya's bonds, his eyes growing frantic as running feet sounded in the hallway, and someone began blowing the doors of the other rooms off the hinges with kido fire. Screams and explosions of power grew closer.

"N-naoki..." Tetsuya whispered tremulously, his sapphire eyes filling with tears, "Naoki, please! You can...climb out the window and escape. Please don't let yourself be caught trying to save me! Please, Naoki!"

Naoki heard the footsteps closing in and stopped his efforts. He moved close to Tetsuya and wrapped his arms around the younger teen, kissing him warmly and brushing away his tears.

"Be calm, Tetsuya," he whispered, "It's okay. We're together. It's okay. It's okay."

He closed his eyes and the two held on tightly to each other as something struck the door, making it explode into splinters. The two watched, wide-eyed as a shinigami stepped into the room, his weapon pointed at them and his body braced to defend himself. He took a closer look at the two as the dust from the explosion cleared.

"Oh," he said, relaxing and lowering his sword, "You are prisoners."

He moved forward and shattered the kido holding Tetsuya.

"I am Kuchiki Sadao," he told them, "I have come with Byakuya-sama to free you. Come."

Tetsuya and Naoki stood and started to follow, but were shoved back behind the man as two prison guards burst into the room.

"He's helping them escape!" yelled one, taking aim on the group.

Sadao pushed the two boys behind him protectively as the guards fired heavy kido blasts at point blank range. Tetsuya and Naoki held on to each other tightly as Sadao's reiatsu rose and fended off the first volley of kido. But as the dust from the first attack settled, more guards ran into the room and joined the first. Sadao gritted his teeth and pulled the two teens close, firing a flash of kido at the guards to distract them, then holding the boys against him and blasting a hole in the wall behind them. Dragging the boys with him, Sadao launched himself through the opening and started to flash step.

Time slowed to an unbearable crawl for Tetsuya as he registered Orochi running back into the room behind the attacking guards. His staring eyes took in the infuriated expression on his cousin's face and he saw Orochi's hands rise. But Orochi disappeared into a blinding, fiery light that exploded within the room, sending a flare of fire and a hard shock wave through the air. Tetsuya heard their rescuer make a sound of pain, and his hands let go of the teens as the three went out of control and tumbled down, crashing violently into the river below them.

Everything went black and horribly still for a time, before Tetsuya felt strong hands take hold of him and drag him out of the water.

"Rest easy now," said the warm, deep voice of the man who had tried to help them, "You are safe."

"N-naoki..." Tetsuya cried weakly, his head swimming and starting to disappear into the darkness again.

"Shh...you're going to be all right," Sadao whispered, his saddened eyes focused on Tetsuya as he started to lose consciousness.

"Jun?" he queried softly to the young man who leaned over Naoki.

"I am sorry, Sadao-san," he answered, reaching down to close Naoki's eyes, "There was nothing I could do."

Sadao gazed quietly down at Tetsuya, remembering the way the two had clung to each other. He lifted the unconscious boy into his arms, then looked back at his companion.

"Bring him."

"Sir?"

"Just do as I say," Sadao insisted quietly, "I will take responsibility for him. Come, we must meet up with Byakuya-sama."

The younger officer sighed sadly, lifting the dead teen into his arms and following Sadao to the meeting point.

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**(102 years later)**

Tetsuya came awake suddenly, and sat up in bed, placing a hand on his swollen belly and panting softly through the wave of pain that had gripped it.

"Oh!" he groaned, wiping the sweat from his forehead and closing his eyes.

"Tetsuya-san?" said the sleepy voice of his attendant, from where he slept on a cot in the corner of the room, "Tetsuya-san, are you having more pains? Should I get Urahara-san?"

Unable to speak, Tetsuya merely nodded, sending the attendant scrambling out the doors and down the hallway.

"Urahara-san! Urahara-san!" cried Koji, "I think Tetsuya-san is in labor!"

"Okay, okay, Koji," the shopkeeper sighed, groaning as he glanced at the clock and pulled free of Ichigo's naked and only half-awake body.

"Wh-what's that?" Ichigo mumbled.

"Don't worry about it," the shopkeeper laughed, giving the younger man a frisky nip on the lips, "It's probably just another false alarm."

But whatever he might have thought, Kisuke climbed quickly out of bed and slipped into back into his yukata. He stumbled down into the bedroom where the pregnant shinigami had been sleeping, and found that Byakuya, Renji, Rukia, Kuchiki Sadao and Kuchiki Mai had already arrived and were gathered around him. Tetsuya smiled gamely as Kisuke entered the room, but the shopkeeper could see the signs of anxiety in the young man's eyes as he panted his way through the pains, holding on to Byakuya's hand on one side and his adoptive mother's on the other. Renji sat with his arm around the still pale Byakuya, the two smiling down at the younger relative who was about to give the recovering clan leader and his husband an extremely profound gift.

"All right, who's causing trouble in here," said Kisuke, smirking as Sadao and Mai moved aside to make room for him, "I thought I told you to let us get some sleep before popping that little Kuchiki heir out of you!"

Tetsuya chuckled weakly, then winced and panted softly as another pain passed through him.

"I d-did try," he managed, "but I am afraid that, much like his fathers, he isn't inclined to wait."

"Oh," grinned Renji, "I see how it is. The guy thinks he can get cheeky with us now, just because he's having our kid. I don't know, Byakuya, I think you may need to let me smack him around a little for that."

"Perhaps _after_ Urahara-san delivers our child," the clan leader said sedately.

"Enough, you two," clucked Mai, leaning forward to gently wash the sweat from Tetsuya's comely face, "Don't listen to a thing they say."

"You are doing well, segare," Sadao assured him, "I think that it won't be much longer."

"Oh...that is a good thing," Tetsuya panted, biting at his lips as another sharp pain gripped him, "_OH_!"

"Easy," said Kisuke, opening the lower portion of Tetsuya's yukata and resting his hands on the young man's slightly rounded belly, "The area has lost enough cohesion, I think, so that the reiatsu cluster can pass through. Okay, folks, I hope you have a name picked out, because we are there..."

"Hah, and you tried to tell me that it was a false alarm," complained Ichigo, stumbling to an open chair near Rukia and giving her hand a squeeze, "All ready to meet your new little nephew?"

"Oh, Ichigo!" Rukia whispered, her eyes glistening, "After almost losing Nii-sama, this is such a miracle!"

"Yeah?" said Renji, looking down at Tetsuya's belly proudly, "Well, we wouldn't have this miracle if it wasn't for your cousin, here. You have no idea how much Byakuya and I love you for this, Tetsuya-san."

"Well," Tetsuya said softly as the pain eased, "If there is anything good that came from my incarceration in that prison, it is that what they did to me made this possible."

"Huh," said Renji, losing his smile for just a moment, "I'm still not gonna be thanking those bastards anytime soon. But...thank you, Tetsuya-san."

"Eh," panted Tetsuya, wincing as another pain came on, "Ah...!"

"Byakuya-sama," said a voice from the doorway.

Tetsuya carefully avoided looking at the man and Rukia scowled.

"Speaking of bastards..." Renji muttered under his breath.

"What is it Councilor Orochi?" Byakuya asked, frowning.

"The council is present and prepared to formally greet the heir upon your order," Orochi said, his eye falling on the pregnant shinigami in the bed, "I have been chosen to witness and verify the birth of the heir."

"Great..." mumbled Rukia.

"What? They couldn't find anyone else?" Renji asked, his reiatsu flickering menacingly, "What about..."

"I did not ask for this dubious honor," Orochi said shortly, "I am obeying the will of the council. That is something that some of us are actually committed to doing, Abarai-san."

"Well, they should have their heads examined, sending you in here!" Renji snapped, "They know all about..."

"Renji, please," Byakuya said, placing a hand on his husband's arm, "Not now. Just, let it go."

Renji's lips tightened, but he fell silent, and followed Tetsuya's example of simply ignoring the man.

"AH!" gasped Tetsuya, his sapphire eyes widening and his hand clenching Byakuya's as white light flared around his abdomen.

He leaned forward, shivering as Renji rubbed his back gently and Byakuya ran his fingers gently through the distressed young man's long, wavy black hair. Rukia clutched Ichigo's arm and the ginger-haired youth smiled widely.

"Here he comes!" whispered Kisuke.

Across the room, where he stood apart from everyone by the door, Orochi's eyes watched Tetsuya closely, his reiatsu pulled in tightly and his expression carefully controlled.

Kisuke placed his hands over the place where the light had brightened to where it was near blinding. He sent his reiatsu into Tetsuya's abdomen and let it curl gently around the thick cluster of golden reiatsu. He paused for a moment, letting the nearly breathless shinigami rest briefly.

"Okay, deep breath," he said, focusing on holding on to the emerging reiatsu, "And...let it out real slow. You're doing great, Tetsuya-san."

Tetsuya nodded wordlessly, ignoring the beads of sweat that ran down his face and throat. He watched raptly as Kisuke applied gentle pressure, very gradually easing the golden cluster free of the opened reiatsu chamber inside him. A happy sob escaped him as he felt the cluster pull free of his body, and the opening that had appeared, immediately began to close on its own.

"Holy shit," whispered Renji, staring and holding Byakuya tightly, "That's just..."

"Amazing..." Byakuya breathed, his hand caressing Tetsuya's as Kisuke lifted the cluster away.

Byakuya's face lit with deep pride and happiness as Kisuke reached across Tetsuya's resting form and set the cluster carefully in the clan leader's arms. Slowly, the light began to fade, and the cluster resolved into a tiny, pale-skinned shinigami baby with a tumble of wavy black hair that glowed a handsome auburn where the light in the room shined down on it, tiny delicate features that strongly resembled Byakuya's, and wide dark blue eyes.

"Oh my god," Renji said breathlessly, "He's..."

He broke off as the baby's mouth opened wide and loosed a howl of displeasure. Byakuya smiled down at him and wrapped him warmly in a baby blanket that Kisuke handed him, then held him close as he leaned over his recovering cousin to offer him a kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you, watashi no itoko," he said quietly, "This is something that I...was not thinking that I would ever experience...especially after my injury in the war."

Tetsuya's eyes filled with sudden, unbidden tears.

"It doesn't begin to express how much I owe you for saving me from that awful place," he whispered back, gazing down at the tiny baby he had carried inside him...aching to touch him, but holding himself carefully back from doing so, "It means everything to me that I've made you so happy, Byakuya-sama."

"You should hold him for a bit," the clan leader suggested, "Renji and I want him to be close to you."

"I..." Tetsuya stammered, searching for the right words, "I can't."

"Tetsuya..."

"I am...dizzy," he said, his eyes blinking several times as he settled back against the pillows, "My ears are ringing."

Kisuke leaned over him again.

"A reiatsu drop," he reported, "normal for having just given birth. But, we should allow him to rest."

"Go on," Tetsuya urged Byakuya and Renji, "He needs to be formally acknowledged."

Byakuya looked up at Orochi.

"Go and inform the council that the heir is born...is healthy...and they are invited to come, two by two to greet him."

"But," Tetsuya objected.

"Hai, Byakuya-sama," Orochi said, meeting Tetsuya's eyes for a moment, then turning away.

"You may greet him first, Orochi," Byakuya said, making him stop short.

The others in the room went silent as Orochi walked to his cousin's bedside and looked solemnly down at the baby boy.

"Kisho," Byakuya said, glancing up at Orochi, his eyes cool and expectant.

"Welcome, Kisho-sama," Orochi said quietly, "Congratulations, Byakuya-sama...Renji-san."

"And?" Byakuya said sternly.

Orochi's eyes met Tetsuya's briefly.

"Congratulations, Tetsuya," he said, almost tonelessly, "The elders are grateful for your gift to the clan."

"Thank you," Tetsuya said shortly.

Orochi turned and left.

"Damn," complained Renji, "That guy annoys the hell outta me. Why _is_ he on the council, anyway? How did he get chosen?"

Byakuya sighed.

"Clan rules require that all subfamilies be represented on council. And his father was disabled in the war with the quincys. Orochi is Isas's only son, so was the natural choice for his segment of the family."

"Natural choice, huh?" Renji repeated unhappily, "That guy belongs on the Kuchiki council just about as much as a Rukon-rat like me does."

"Abarai..." said the clan leader, shaking his head, "Enough. Let us not ruin such a day as this."

"Okay," Renji chuckled, kissing the noble on the mouth, then kissing the gurgling baby on the forehead, "But, what about tomorrow? Can I kick the guy's ass tomorrow?"

"We shall see," Byakuya said, smirking.

He looked back at Tetsuya, who seemed to be near drifting off.

"Try not to drop off just yet," he said solemnly, "Just accept the congratulations and blessings of the elders and then you can catch up on your sleep."

"Poor dear," said Mai, touching his cheek lightly and earning a sleepy smile, "It's not like they can't wait. Tetsuya has just..."

"I am fine, Mother," Tetsuya assured her as the head councilor and council record keeper entered the room, "And I will be pleased to receive the council."

"Welcome, Kuchiki Kisho," Head Councilor Nori said, smiling and inclining his head, "Congratulations, Byakuya-sama, Abarai-san, Tetsuya-san. We are grateful."

Tetsuya managed to keep his eyes opened, and a small smile on his face as the rest of the elders took turns filing in and offering their greetings and congratulations. But he was relieved when the last left, and Byakuya and Renji carried the child out of the room to go and see to the official recording of his birth. Sadao, Mai and Koji remained behind as the last of the others left. Mai tucked the blankets in around Tetsuya and kissed him on the cheek.

"Rest now," she told him, squeezing his hand, "You've had quite a morning."

"Yes," Sadao added, "We are very proud of you, segare. And your sisters will be so pleased to hear."

"I wish they could have been here," Tetsuya said softly, closing his eyes.

"Ah, yes," sighed Mai, "but the military is still cleaning up and finishing off some troublemakers. It wouldn't have been safe for them."

"We wouldn't have brought you here," said Sadao, "except that the fourth division was still overwhelmed with war injuries."

"I know," sighed Tetsuya, "but I look forward to going home."

"Yes, me too," said Mai, "The repairs to the house and grounds should be completed in a few days so that you will be right at home again when you come back."

"That is good," Tetsuya yawned sleepily.

"Rest, my dear," Mai said, smiling, "Koji will remain to watch over you."

"As always," chuckled Tetsuya.

He watched as his parents left, then closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. But one slender hand slipped down to touch his abdomen, and tears filled his eyes again at finding that the area felt as firm and trim as it had before his impregnation. He held back from making any noises or letting the tears fall until Kisuke had come back to examine him and infuse him with more healing reiatsu, and Koji had drifted off again. The house went still, and Tetsuya laid, staring silently up at the ceiling, trying not to think about what he had just done.

But the more he tried to avoid the thoughts, the more they rose up and tugged at his mind. Finally, he slipped out of bed and climbed out the window, whistling softly. A moment later, a tall black Arabian stallion with sapphire eyes like Tetsuya's, appeared in the yard, outside the window.

"Arashi," he sighed, leaning against the horse and burying his face in the beast's silken mane.

_Are you all right, Master?_ the stallion's wispy voice whispered into his mind.

"I will be fine," he assured his mount, "I just...need to get away from here. Could we please go somewhere else?"

_Won't they worry about you?_

"Perhaps, but I will send a hell butterfly, after we are gone."

_You shouldn't do this. You have just given birth._

"I know. But I..."

"What are _you_ doing out here?" Orochi's voice asked suddenly, "Aren't you supposed to be resting?"

"Leave me alone," Tetsuya said in a low, warning voice.

"What's wrong?" asked the noble, his black eyes glinting softly, "Everyone is singing your praises, Tetsuya. You should be proud. You have gifted the clan with an heir they thought they would not have. What could be troubling you on such a day?"

Tetsuya sighed and closed his eyes, ignoring the other man's words.

"It almost seems like they have forgotten, doesn't it?" Orochi went on, "but let me assure you, they have not. None of them. Not even Byakuya."

"Don't you have something _better _to do than lurk around? Go and torment someone else!" Tetsuya snapped.

"Are you tormented, Tetsuya?" Orochi asked in a cool, distant tone, as though he was discussing the weather, "You shouldn't be surprised. After all, I did warn you before, how quickly your notoriety would fade, once you gave them what they wanted."

"Do not start with me about my mixed blood again," Tetsuya said, starting to climb onto Arashi.

He felt a gripping pain in his abdomen and slid back down, leaning against the stallion as Orochi gazed at him dispassionately.

"Do you think it doesn't matter?"

"Byakuya-sama's husband is a commoner!" Tetsuya hissed, "And the heir, himself, is mixed blooded as well. You waste your time, annoying me with this! Get away from me!"

"You are barely on your feet," Orochi said, shaking his head disapprovingly, "Go back to bed before you lose consciousness, Tetsuya. There is plenty of time to realize I was right, and to run away from your problems tomorrow."

"I am not _running away_! I just...want to go home."

"Weary of the living world?" asked Orochi, "Or just trying to forget?"

"Shut up!" Tetsuya snapped, his blue eyes flashing.

Arashi stepped forward, his eyes glinting malevolently. Orochi smiled.

"Oh, don't get riled. You wouldn't want to faint and freeze to death out here."

"You wish!"

"Tetsuya-san?" Koji's voice queried from within the room, "Tetsuya-san!"

"You'd best go back and rest now," said Orochi, "You'll have them all up in arms if you keep up this odd behavior. They really think that you have bought into their lies...that you believe that your mixed blood is not an issue. But then...if it is not...then why aren't you in there, holding baby Kisho and acting like a proud parent with our leader and his husband?"

"Damn you, for the last time, that was _my choice_!" Tetsuya cried, surprised at his own loss of control, "I did this for Byakuya-sama, not for myself! When I find the right person...I...!"

"The right person?" Orochi repeated, "And who would that be? The noble women don't want to marry beneath them. And the peasant women would not want to be pariahs within our family. Face it, Tetusya, your parents ruined any chance of you finding happiness when they crossed the lines and..."

"Tetsuya," Byakuya's voice cut in, making Orochi go silent, "Come back inside."

Tetsuya turned to find Byakuya and Renji standing behind them, glowering at Orochi.

"C'mon," Renji urged him, moving past Orochi and slipping a cloak around his shoulders, "You've gotta be freezing. Come back inside and get some rest."

Tetsuya sighed and followed a sputtering Koji back inside as Byakuya gave Orochi a scathing glare.

"You are not to speak to him like that again."

Orochi gazed back at Byakuya silently.

"That young man has done nothing to deserve the despicable things you say to him, and you _will _cease taunting him, or you will deal with _me_! I will not have you making him feel inferior!"

"I was not making him _feel _inferior. I do not have to. Tetsuya knows the truth of things...even if some people do not want to admit it."

"You can keep your damned, twisted version of the _truth_ to yourself!" Renji said, plaicng a hand on Zabimaru, "No one wants to hear it."

"Understandably," said Orochi, "My apologies for disturbing your rest...Byakuya-sama."

Orochi turned and flash stepped away, leaving Byakuya and Renji glaring after him.

"What the fuck is that guy's problem?" Renji asked, scowling.

"He is not the only one who feels that way, I am afraid," Byakuya said quietly, "Class hatred is something that will return to us quickly...now that the war has ended and things are returning to normal. I did warn you when you married me that not everyone would be welcoming."

"I know," said Renji, "I'm okay with that. But...I will kick the shit out of anyone who puts Tetsuya down in my presence. I'm not going to hold back. That man did something for us that was more than a miracle...and no one is going to hurt him without paying for it."

Byakuya couldn't quite contain a small, gratified smile.

"I am of a like mind," he said, nodding approvingly, "Now then, let's go back inside. I think that we should have a talk with my cousin. We are going to need to be sure that he does not continue his distancing himself from us and from Kisho. I understand being respectful, but he is becoming too remote."

"And we're not going to let him get away with that, ne?"

"No," Byakuya agreed.

Renji slipped his arms around the noble's still too slender body and fed him a long, open-mouthed kiss. He turned with Byakuya to go back into the house, but glanced back over his shoulder at Arashi and tossed him an apple.

Arashi caught the fruit nimbly, and nickered gratefully.

"There's more where that came from, Fleabag," Renji promised, "But I want you to keep an eye out for Tetsuya. You let me know if anyone bothers him and we'll trash them, okay?"

Arashi let out an equine snicker and continued to chew.

_For once, something we agree on..._


	2. When a Door Closes

**Chapter 2: Where a Door Closes**

"I am sorry, Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya said softly, his eyes burning beneath his eyelids when he blinked, "My rash actions yesterday have resulted in this illness, and I have hurt you by being careless with my health."

"Eh," said Kisuke, smiling at the young man as Byakuya gently washed the sweat from his skin with a cool, wet cloth, "It is a nasty fever, but it was brought on by a minor infection that was caused by the stress to your systems, not one silly little trip outside."

"He is right," Byakuya agreed, "Do not torment yourself. We can wait to return until you are well."

"But the council is returning today!" objected Tetsuya, "and there are the..."

"Do not concern yourself," Byakuya chided him, "Just rest, Cousin. Do not add to your discomfort by worrying overly much."

He paused as a messenger flash stepped into the room.

"What is it, Jun?"

"S-sir!" the messenger panted, "There was an attack on the manor and council halls!"

"What? When was this?"

"It happened in the early hours of the morning," Jun explained, "It was thought to be another of the smell cells of killers that Juha Bach set to infiltrate. They don't seem to care that he is gone. They attacked us anyway! Our security forces were able to head them off, but there have been several more attempts and they seem determined to complete their objective at any cost!"

"Have you informed the council?" Byakuya asked quickly.

"I have," Jun replied, nodding, "And they have called for all protective and fighting forces to return to protect the subfamilies."

"Then, we will leave as soon as preparations can be made."

"Byakuya, what about Kisho?" Renji asked.

"He will have to stay here until it is made safe for him," Byakuya replied.

"Tessai and the kids and I can look out for him," Kisuke offered, "We can have him escorted back with Tetsuya-san, once he is well."

Tetsuya sighed.

"At least I can be of some use. I feel horrid with everyone going back to protect our home and me..."

"Tetsuya," Byakuya said reprovingly, "No one has given more to the protection of our household than you have. And do not forget that you have just given our clan the greatest of gifts. You put yourself under considerable strain to do so. Do not be so hard on yourself. We will return home and take care of the situation, then we will come for you and Kisho. Please, just rest and get well."

"Byakuya's right," Renji agreed, "You need to take care of yourself, Tetsuya-san. When we all get home, we're going to have our hands full taking care of that beautiful little boy we made together."

Tetsuya gazed at Renji for a moment, then lowered his eyes and nodded.

"Very well," he said softly, "But you must at least take Arashi with you. You will need his fighting power."

He turned his head to find Koji.

"Koji."

"Sir?" answered the attendant.

"You are to return to Kuchiki Manor with Byakuya-sama. Stay close to my parents and sisters. You must protect them in my stead."

"But Tetsuya-san! I am your attendant! And you are ill. My place is here with you! Please don't ask me to leave you here!"

Tetsuya shook his head gently.

"I will be fine," he promised, "Urahara-san and Tessai-san will be taking care of Kisho and me. And you know that our family will need protection. Mai and Sadao are like parents to you as well, and Aratani and Kohana are like your own sisters."

"Yes, yes, of course, Tetsuya-san, but..."

"You must go to them," Tetsuya insisted, "I will not be able to rest unless I know that they have you with them, helping to watch over them. After all they have done for me, I must do something to return that gift."

Koji looked like he wanted to argue, but lowered his head and bit at his lips, holding back instead.

"Very well, Tetsuya-san," he said solemnly, "But as soon as the intruders are captured, I am returning to you!"

Tetsuya managed a soft, shaky laugh.

"All right, my stubborn friend, come back to me, then. But see to our family's protection first."

"Yes, Tetsuya-san," Koji said, turning and flash stepping away.

Renji smiled and shook his head.

"That Koji's a good kid," he commented in an affectionate tone.

"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "Like his brothers, Torio and Akio, he is fiercely devoted to his master and unfailingly loyal."

"He has been my attendant ever since I arrived at Kuchiki Manor, after Byakuya-sama freed me from the half-breed's prison."

Tetsuya went suddenly quiet as another messenger, this one from the Kuchiki council, joined them in the room.

"Byakuya-sama," the man said, bowing.

"Ken," the clan leader said in acknowledgement.

"The council is assembled and ready to leave. Councilor Orochi has been granted permission to stay as his father, former councilor Isas, has taken ill and requested his attendance."

"Very well," said the noble, "Renji and I will join the council momentarily."

"Yes sir!"

Byakuya turned back to Tetsuya as the messenger flash stepped out of the room.

"Tetsuya," he said, slipping a hand into his cousin's and touching his face lightly with his other hand, "Rest well and come back home to us soon."

"I will," promised the younger noble, "And once I am well, I will care for Kisho-sama myself until it is time for us to come home."

Byakuya gave him a fleeting smile.

"Then, our son is in capable hands. But sleep now."

Not waiting for an answer, Byakuya sent a soft swell of kido into his cousin's body and watched as Tetsuya's sapphire eyes blinked and slowly closed. He stepped back and waited as Kisuke examined Tetsuya briefly.

"How is he?" Renji asked.

"He is stable," Kisuke assured them, "The sleep will do him some good. Don't worry. Tetsuya-san is going to be fine. And since we have a couple of sick shinigamis hanging around, I'll even have Orihime come and stay with us. I'm sure she will love helping out with your son."

"Thank you," said Byakuya.

He gazed down at Tetsuya silently for a moment before continuing.

"Kisuke, I want you to make sure that Orochi is not left alone with either Tetsuya or Kisho. I do not believe that he would openly harm either, but he is purposely cruel to Tetsuya. They have a complex history."

Kisuke nodded.

"Yoruichi told me what happened between them in the half-breed's prison. It pretty much left me wanting to kill that guy myself. I won't leave him alone with those two. Tessai and I will watch him like hawks when he is not with his father. But, honestly, I don't think it will be a problem. I think Orochi-san's going to have his full attention on his father. He took heavy damage in the battles with the Vandenreich, and with that plus his age working against him, I don't think Isas will be with us much longer. Orihime healed him up some, but a person's spirits always come into play and that guy seems to have carried something heavy inside. It doesn't seem like there's much we can do but make him comfortable."

"Yes," agreed Byakuya, "I think that is why the council is allowing Orochi to remain here. They wouldn't do that with the threat to our clan unless they thought Isas was likely to die."

"Right, well, Byakuya-san, Renji-san, have a safe trip back. Be careful, though. We may have removed most of the 'teeth' from the enemy, but there are still remnants that will nip at us from time to time. Be on your guard."

"We will," said Renji.

"Again, I thank you," said Byakuya, "It is a comfort to know that my cousin and our son are in capable hands. There is great turmoil at home, and it may be several days before we can send an escort for them."

"Don't worry about a thing," Kisuke said, chuckling, "It's no trouble watching over them."

"Come then, Renji," said the noble, "We need to meet the council for the trip back."

Kisuke watched them leave, then turned back to Tetsuya and washed the sweat from his face. He arranged the pillows more comfortably around him, then left him sleeping quietly.

"You're a good kid, Tetsuya," he said, squeezing the young man's hand affectionately, "What you did for Byakuya and Renji was amazing. Don't worry about this. We'll get you sorted out. And you'll be back on Arashi and headed home in no time."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Orochi," Isas whispered in a shaky voice, "Son, are you still...here?"

"Yes, Father," Orochi responded, turning back from where he stood at the window and sitting down next to the older man.

He took Isas's hand in his.

"You are supposed to be resting," Orochi went on, "You want to get stronger, so that we can return home."

The younger man's mind strayed to the memory of the arrival of one of their staff, a short time before.

_"Orochi-sama, I have an urgent message from the household for Isas-sama!"_

_Orochi shook his head._

_"Father has taken ill from his injuries again. You may give your message to me instead."_

_"V-very well, Orochi-sama," said the young man, bowing his head, "The estate faced a direct attack in the skirmish today. Twelve of our house security forces were killed, as well as several of the house staff that were surprised by the intruders. The house and grounds were significantly damaged. Work crews are there, but it will take time to restore things to the way they were."_

_"Who among the house staff was killed?" Orochi asked, closing his eyes._

_"The horsemaster, Miki-san, the two houseboys, Hotaka-san and Juro-kun, attendants, Madoka-san and Atsushi-kun and your father's housemaid, Kaiyo."_

_Orochi flinched and caught his breath at the last name._

_"I see," he said solemnly, "Thank you. I will see that my father receives the message."_

"I heard there was an attack," Isas said, disrupting Orochi's thoughts suddenly, "Have you heard how the household fared?"

"Everyone is fine," he lied, picking up a bottle of sake and pouring each of them a glass.

"That is good," said the elder man, accepting his sake glass with a trembling hand and sipping at it, "I was worried."

"Don't be," Orochi said, shaking his head, "Everything is fine. The council returned as a precaution, but everything is fine."

He looked up at his son, his black eyes troubled as he considered his next words.

"Son...I need to tell you something."

He paused, expelling several jolting coughs as Orochi wrapped an arm around his shoulders and began to infuse him with healing power.

"You should rest, Father," the younger man answered quietly, "Whatever you want to tell me, it can wait."

"No," Isas insisted, "I understand my condition, Orochi. And I am not so afraid, but that I should die without leaving you some comfort would be wrong."

"I am fine, Father. Don't worry about me. I will handle things."

"I know," Isas whispered, "You are a good boy, Orochi. You have always made me...very proud. You will lead our subfamily capably, I am sure. But as you do, you should not stand alone. You are, as yet, unmarried, and...when I leave you, you will need someone to listen."

"I told you, I..."

Isas pulled him closer, lowering his voice until it was barely audible. His lips moved softly, expelling his last secret into his shocked son's ear. Orochi listened wordlessly, his coal black eyes widening and numbness flooding him. He wanted to scream at the words, to loose his wrath at the trail of lies laid out before him. He remained still and breathless as his father explained, forcing himself to simply accept the words and to offer the dying man his final absolution.

"Can y-you forgive m-me, Orochi?" the old man asked, his voice weakening and his eyes beginning to haze over.

The younger man bit back the hateful things that came to mind and breathed slowly until he made himself calm again.

"Yes."

He watched as relief flooded his father's fading eyes and a peaceful look overcame his face. Isas's hand found his again, and he smiled at Orochi tremulously.

"You are a good boy. Thank you, Son."

Orochi squeezed the old man's hand comfortingly, then watched in silence as his life force faded. He waited quietly, still numb from end to end as the wicked truth roiled in his stunned mind. When he was sure that the old man was gone, he rose and walked to the door, an odd weakness in his legs and a deep, angry ache in his devastated heart. He swallowed hard and looked back over his shoulder.

"You should have let the truth die with you."

_Some secrets should never be spoken._

_They only cause unbearable pain._

_But I will take this upon my heart and forgive you, even if doing so destroys me..._

_Father._

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya heard footsteps and voices outside his door and opened his eyes. His body felt chilled and was damp with sweat, but it felt a relief from the burning fever he had been suffering from. The door to his room opened, and Tessai entered, carrying a baby's bassinet. He set it down at Tetsuya's bedside, and the noble heard a soft, happy cooing sound.

"What's going on?" he asked, blinking and shivering.

"Ah," said Tessai, turning to Tetsuya and coaxing him into lying down.

He took a wet washcloth and soaked it in hot water that had been placed on the nightstand, then handed it to the noble, who sighed gratefully and began to wash away the sweat.

"Word just came that a unit patrolling the precipice world encountered one of the stronger quincys who escaped. He beat them up pretty bad before running off. They beefed up patrols of the area and brought all of the wounded here, so rooms are short. And Urahara-san thought that you could take over caring for the little one as soon as you are well enough. Your illness isn't contagious, so there is no need to worry you will make him ill. And Ururu will be coming in to help out with him. Is that all right then?"

"Oh...yes, it's fine," said Tetsuya, gazing down at the gurgling, blue-eyed infant.

He slipped out of the bed onto shaky legs, accepting a fresh yukata from Tessai, then stumbling into the bathroom to change, while the other man put fresh sheets on the bed. Upon his return, he climbed back into the bed, sighing with contentment at the feel and scent of clean, fresh bedding.

"Ah...arigatou, Tessai-san. This feels...so much better!"

"Now that your fever has broken, you should recover quickly," Tessai said, smiling at him, "But do not think of getting up and about yet. You still need to rest and eat, to regain your strength."

"Is there word from the Seireitei?" Tetsuya asked anxiously.

"There was some fighting," Tessai reported, "but Byakuya-san, Renji-san, Rukia-chan and your Arashi are all fine."

"That is good...a relief," said Tetsuya.

"A message also came from Sadao-san's estate, reporting that all of them are fine as well. So, you should be able to stop worrying about them and take care of yourself, ne?"

"Oh yes, of course," Tetsuya chuckled, smiling, "I want to go home as soon as possible."

"I can escort you and Kisho-sama home tomorrow, if you are well enough," said Orochi's voice from the doorway.

Tetsuya stiffened and Tessai frowned in disapproval.

"I thought that you were attending your father," Tetsuya said quietly.

"My father died," the other young man said shortly, "His entourage has already left with him."

"Why did you not go with them?" Tessai asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I was assisting with the healing of the ones brought in from the precipice world. Urahara-san and the others are overwhelmed with the number of injured. But most of them should be dealt with by tomorrow."

"Hmmm."

Orochi's dark eyes met Tetsuya's dispassionately.

"You are welcome to wait for Byakuya-sama to send an escort for you. I only meant to offer you a faster option. You can let me know in the morning if you are up to the journey."

Tetsuya and Tessai exchanged glances as Orochi walked away.

"Do not think of going with that man, Tetsuya-san," Tessai advised the young noble, "Byakuya-san does not trust him, and neither should you."

"But I am aware of that," Tetsuya said, looking in the direction that his cousin had gone, "Believe me, no one knows the depths of that man's cruelty better than I do."


	3. Fall

**Chapter 3: Fall**

"You're still awake?" Renji asked, tying his yukata at the waist, then admiring the pink sakura print on the back of the noble's dark gray nightclothes and the black, silken hair that trickled down over his shoulders, onto his back.

He moved to where Byakuya stood by the bedroom's open garden doors, breathing in the cold night air and looking up at the moon.

"Everyone is on edge," the noble said softly, "It is difficult to sleep with the tension in the air as it is."

"Heh," Renji chuckled, sliding his arms around Byakuya from behind and kissing his husband on the pale, soft flesh along the side of his throat, "And I thought you were waiting for me to come in off of guard duty. Instead, you're just moongazing to pass the time. I must be doing something wrong."

Byakuya turned in the redhead's arms and gazed sleepily up into his affectionate, red-brown eyes.

"I assure you, Renji, you are doing nothing wrong. What passes between us is...deeply satisfying. You are as passionate here with me as you are on the battlefield. And sharing either setting with you is intoxicating."

"It sounds distracting," said Renji, his hand finding Byakuya's and lacing their fingers together, "That could be dangerous."

"I am not concerned. I am sure that you will catch me if I fall."

"Hey, don't talk like that," the redhead chided him, "You'll bring back bad memories."

Byakuya sighed and closed his eyes.

"Ah, yes. That is true. But we have come away from what happened in the war, and we are both much stronger for it. As much as it was difficult, it opened the doorway to our love, Renji. And doing that made it possible for Tetsuya to bring us the miracle of a lifetime. Despite everything, I have no regrets."

Renji chuckled softly and nipped at his throat.

"Me either."

The two fell into an exchange of warm, deep, open-mouthed kisses, and Renji coaxed the noble back into the room, then closed the garden doors. They walked to the bed together and laid down beside one another. Byakuya curled up on his husband's tattooed chest, resting his ear over Renji's heart and listening to the strong, steady beat. The redhead's rough hands invaded the noble's yukata and slid down his back, prompting a sound of discomfort from Byakuya.

"You okay?" Renji asked, "You get hurt in the fighting today?"

"It is nothing," Byakuya said off-handedly.

Renji's eyes narrowed and he shook his head reprovingly.

"Baka, that's why you have clan healers," he admonished his husband, sending an infusion of healing energy into the area, "To _heal_ you when you get hurt!"

"Hmmm," the noble sighed lazily, "I will try to keep that in mind. But I like sometimes to feel that bit of pain to remind me what is important, and how it feels to be unable to defend what matters. I never want to forget what led to my defeat before, because I never want that to happen again."

"I don't think it's going to," Renji said, smiling and attacking Byakuya's warm, hungry mouth again.

The noble quickly became breathless, dizzied by the hot thrust of the redhead's tongue as it teased his, the scintillating feel of those rough, calloused hands sliding along his skin, and the erotic pressure of the redhead's aroused member where it touched him. Soft, pleased moans escaped his parted lips as Renji's mouth continued to devour his, and the redhead's soft growl of contentment caused a strong reaction in his loins. Byakuya pushed his hips upward, seeking greater friction against Renji's strong, warm body, and was rewarded with a more feral response. Those strong hands pulled the yukata the rest of the way off of his slender, white body, leaving it completely naked and ripe for invasion.

And despite the gentleness in their foreplay, their joining was rough and less controlled. Voracious mouths attacked each other as Renji's hand hastily prepared the impatient noble. Byakuya rose up and threw the redhead down on his back, then spread his pretty thighs and mounted him. The wild sound that escaped the noble's fine lips went straight to the other man's groin, and the redhead bucked upward hard. Byakuya's hands clenched where he held onto Renji's sweat dampened shoulders, and the redhead's hands gripped the noble's hips tightly.

Byakuya groaned in bliss as Renji brought him swiftly to the edges of completion. The redhead sensed his lover's distraction and upended the noble, bringing him down hard on his back and plunging into him again, writhing against him until Byakuya could hold back no more and tumbled headlong into release. He yielded with a scream of pleasure as Renji's joined him in release, leaving them a panting, sweaty and contented mess on the bed. The redhead collapsed next to him, feeding more lazily on Byakuya's warm, wet mouth as the two enjoyed the soft hum of sweet satedness.

They laid quietly, gazing out the open garden doors and looking up into the starry, moonlit sky. They drifted off to sleep, only to be awakened a few hours later by the shrill sound of the house alarms.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya came awake suddenly and sat up in his bed, his eyes wide and his ears straining as he wondered if the sound that had roused him was real or the product of his dreaming mind. He stiffened as crashing sounds rose up from several places in the darkened house, and raised voices and the sounds of pounding feet approached. He took Kisho gently from his bed and brought the baby to his shoulder, turning towards the window and looking outside. The noble bit at his lips nervously, spotting the presence of several dark, malevolent looking men guarding the area outside the bedroom windows.

_If only Arashi was here! But he isn't, so I am going to have to protect the two of us._

An explosion rocked the shop, leaving Tetsuya reeling as he placed a hand on the bed to steady himself. He edged towards the bedroom door, then opened it carefully.

"Tetsuya!" cried Kisuke's voice, "I'll hold them off. Get down to the training room and use the senkaimon. Get out of here now!"

Without hesitation, Tetsuya charged into the hallway, loosing a blast of kido over Kisuke's shoulder and into the advancing enemies, then retreating to the room that held the entrance to the training area. He started towards the open senkaimon, but was stopped a moment later as strong hands took hold of him and held him away.

"Stop it!" he cried, "What are you doing? I have to get Kisho out of here!"

"Not that way!" Orochi's voice hissed harshly, "They're waiting just inside. We have to use a family senkaimon and try to slip by them!"

A shiver went through Tetsuya's tensed body as his eyes met the other man's in the darkness.

"I don't care what you think of me or how much you hate us," he told his cousin stiffly, "It is your duty to protect the heir, and if you don't do that, I will..."

He broke off as two cloaked men emerged from the senkaimon and spotted them.

"It's the clan leader's child!" cried one, "Get them!"

Tetsuya sent a heavy blast of kido at them, then watched in dismay as it was swallowed up by the two, who raised quincy bows and took aim on them. He tore away from Orochi, reeling as his cousin grabbed him and brought him to the ground.

"Are you crazy!" Tetsuya shouted, "You're going to get us killed. What, did you betray us to them?"

He went silent as arrows fired by another hidden pair of enemies passed over them.

"They were taking aim on you," Orochi explained brusquely, "I had no choice."

Tetsuya glanced down at Kisho, surprised at how calm the baby remained amidst the flashes and loud sounds of battle. He watched as his cousin quickly opened a senkaimon, then hurried him into it, closing it again behind them.

"It won't take them long to find us," Orochi said, his black eyes scanning the area around them, "We are going to have to take an altered route back to the Seireitei to avoid them."

The two slipped into a small alcove as voices rose up nearby.

"They escaped into the precipice world. They can't have gone far. Find them."

Orochi led Tetsuya out of the niche, then around a corner. They came to a stop, just short of where two quincies stood guard.

"We have to go by him," Orochi whispered, "I'll attack them and you get by them as quickly as you can. Don't stop, once my attack begins."

"What about you?"

"I will be fine," Orochi said tersely, "Just be ready to move."

Tetsuya held his breath as his cousin stepped silently out of concealment and breathed a soft command to send his weapon into shikai. Orochi's black steel blade shimmered softly, and two small black snakes slithered out of it. The snakes slid silently along the corridor, their bodies almost invisible in the darkness. The guards spotted them as they approached, and one stepped forward, raising his bow and taking aim on them. Orochi appeared out of the blackness, his sword slicing neatly through one enemy as his snakes slithered up the others' leg and bit into him, making him cry out as he blocked Orochi's sword with his bow, then pulled something free from his waist and threw it at the attacking shinigami.

"Orochi!" cried Tetsuya, "Look out!"

He was sent crashing to the rock floor of the corridor as a heavy blast shook the area. Tetsuya curled, carefully shielding Kisho as they fell.

"Orochi!"

He heard the sound of falling rock and surged to his feet, breaking into a run as rock began to crash down all around him. Small, stinging bits of debris glanced off his skin and cut at his bare feet as he fled, and he choked on the thick dust that filled the air. He heard the sound of someone behind him, and not knowing if it was Orochi returning or another enemy, he flash stepped faster, breathing a sigh of relief as the danger from the falling rocks faded. He turned several times, moving off the main path and trying to remain roughly parallel as he headed for the exit. He was nearly there, when he stepped down onto a piece of rock that gave slightly under his foot, making a clicking sound that send Tetsuya into a defensive dive as the trap activated and a huge explosion rocked the corridor. Tetsuya cried out in dismay, shielding Kisho carefully as they were thrown aside and pelted with falling debris. He felt the bones in one arm shatter as a rock crashed down on him, making him scream in pain, but he managed to hold on to the baby with his uninjured arm and drag himself to his feet again. He ran blindly then, barely able to see in the darkness and thick dust. Several times, he thought he heard footsteps, but couldn't be sure as more rock crashed down near him and forced him to flee again.

_I can't go on like this._

Tetsuya turned a corner and froze as the tip of a quincy's glowing reiatsu sword touched his chest. The large, green eyed man forced him back against the wall and glared down into his widened blue eyes.

"You are going to die, shinigami," the man said coldly, "Any last words?"

"Just this," Tetsuya said with surprising calm, "This child is innocent. Do not harm him."

"Huh!" huffed the quincy, "He is enemy spawn. He will grow to be an enemy, so he needs to be snuffed out now. Isn't that what your bastard comrades said when they slaughtered us? You expect to be treated differently than you treated us?"

"The choice of genocide is not one I would ever support," Tetsuya said, keeping his eyes focused on the quincy's, "Are you saying then, that you condone that genocide that they imposed on your people? If not, then how can you impose that wrong on me?"

"I do not condone genocide," said the quincy, "This is revenge."

"Then loose your revenge on me, if you wish. But do not hurt this child," the noble requested, "I ask what any father would ask for his child, be that man shinigami, hollow or human."

"You are the boy's father?"

Tetsuya looked down at Kisho, his heart aching inside at the thought of what was likely to happen to them.

"Yes."

The quincy stared into his eyes coldly.

"You may put him down so that he is not hurt when you collapse and die."

Tetsuya gazed back at the man and nodded briefly, then watched as the reiatsu sword was pulled away slightly. He kissed Kisho on the forehead and rubbed his cheek lightly against the baby's, breathing in his scent.

_I've never once considered him my son. He was always 'the child I am having for my cousin.' But he is mine as well. I feel that all through me. Even if he is the heir and I am considered a cousin and guardian, my heart feels the same duty that any father's would. Thank you, Kisho...for letting me feel that wonderful connection with you, just this once before we are parted._

"Hurry up," the quincy growled, looking away for a moment as the sound of the cleaner rose up in the distance, "Put the brat down."

Tetsuya set Kisho on the floor, then launched himself at the other man, catching the reiatsu blade in his broken hand and forcing it aside as he threw himself onto the other. Tetsuya screamed as the blade burned and cut his hand, but kept himself composed enough to strike the man with his uninjured hand as they fell. The quincy struggled to gain control of his weapon as Tetsuya struggled with him, striking with the elbow of his injured arm, with his knees and kicking at the man as he pulled free and crawled towards Kisho.

"No, don't!" cried Tetsuya, throwing himself onto the quincy's back and firing a quick kido blast into his back, making him collapse, but failing to immobilize him.

His heart froze as the quincy extended his sword, closing in on the warmly wrapped baby whose voice rose up in a frightened howl as the noise from the cleaner grew louder. Ignoring the pain of his injuries, Tetsuya forgot everything except stopping the man from reaching Kisho. The quincy laughed wickedly as the tip of his weapon touched the soft wrappings around the heir.

Tetsuya caught his breath in shock as he was dragged off of the quincy's back. He started to fight the one holding him, but went still as a black sword sank down into the attacking quincy, making blood explode onto Tetsuya and Kisho as the man collapsed in a swiftly widening puddle of it.

Tetsuya crawled towards Kisho, sobbing the boy's name, but was hauled to his feet and shoved away by a dusty, battered and badly bleeding Orochi.

"I'll bring him. Go!" his cousin hissed, "The cleaner is coming."

"I can..."

"Shut up and go!" Orochi insisted, picking up the infant, "Your arm is broken and you need a hand free to fight if we are found."

The two turned away from the approaching cleaner, running down one long corridor, then turning into another.

"I lost track of the direction," Tetsuya panted, "There was an explosion."

"I don't know which way we are heading either," his cousin admitted, "but the first exit I see..."

A shower of arrows struck just in front of them, then Orochi turned away, shielding Kisho as several more closed in on them.

"Bankai," said Tetsuya, summoning his blade, "Koori no bakuha, Re-kuhime!"

He stepped in front of Orochi, loosing a punishing blast of ice blades. He drove the quincys back, then turned down another corridor, dragging Orochi along. His cousin took several steps, then dropped to his knees.

"Orochi!" Tetsuya cried, "Get up! The cleaner...!"

"Go," Orochi panted, shoving Kisho into Tetsuya's hands, then gripping his bleeding side, where a quincy arrow had pierced him.

"I'm not going to let you die," Tetsuya insisted, sheathing his sword and accepting Kisho from his cousin, "Come on. You have to help me find an exit!"

Orochi looked up as the cleaner entered the corridor, then swallowed hard and nodded. He dragged himself to his feet and leaned against Tetsuya as they stumbled forward together.

"That way!" Orochi said suddenly, turning Tetsuya down another pathway.

They staggered on, stopping as they came to a dead end.

"There should be a door!" Orochi cried, "I sensed an opening!"

"It may be a pocket dimension," Tetsuya said, shivering as the rumble and roar of the cleaner grew closer.

Orochi thrust his sword into the rock wall, growling out a command. He cursed as the door refused to open.

"Hurry!" Tetsuya cried as the light of the cleaner became blinding and the rumble of it shook loose rock from the walls and ceiling of the corridor, "OROCHI!"

With a furious snarl, Orochi forced his blade deeper into the rock and infused the blade with his reiatsu to strengthen it. The door gave slightly, allowing the two shinigamis just enough space to pass through as the cleaner reached them. They fell into blackness, flash stepping blindly and splashing down into water. Tetsuya surfaced quickly and brought Kisho to the surface, checking quickly to make certain that he was conscious, then looked around in the darkness. Rain splashed down into the water and hampered his vision, but he was able to find the edge of the water, and swam towards it, holding Kisho carefully at the surface. He reached the edge a few minutes later and dragged himself onto the shore.

"Orochi!" he cried, holding Kisho against him as the rain poured down on them, "Orochi!"

He waited for several agonizing minutes, scanning the turbulent water for any sign of his cousin. Seing none, he swallowed the sick feeling of being trapped and alone in the pocket dimension, and focused himself on looking around for shelter. He spotted a small alcove at the base of the cliff that seemed dry and not too windy. He carried Kisho into it and sat down, placing his back against the rock wall. He laid the crying baby down and unwrapped the blankets around him, and was surprised to find that the inner fibers had repelled much of the moisture. He kissed the baby on the forehead and wrung out the outer layer, then wrapped him again and curled into a corner of the alcove. He set Kisho in his lap and placed a hand on the cold stone, warming it slowly with kido. Picking up the baby, he pressed harder into the corner, letting the heat from the kido treated stone seep into their bodies. Kisho calmed and fell asleep, but Tetsuya remained awake and gazing out into the rain at the roiling water that Orochi had disappeared into.

"What do we do now?" he whispered, "I can't leave and go back until I know my cousin's fate. Whatever he might have done before, he saved us. We cannot leave him here."

He resolved to search again in the morning, and raised a protective shield around them. The ache and throb in his shattered arm kept him awake for a time, but finally his exhaustion overcame the pain and he dropped off to sleep.


	4. Dark World

**Chapter 4: Dark World**

Orochi's body crashed down into the black water, and ice seemed to explode through his veins. Shock numbed the initial impact, but then gave way to a moment of panic, then a hard plunge into an even deeper abyss.

_"M-mother?" he wondered, scenting her, but feeling confused at her presence not relieving the sensation of not being able to breathe, "Mother, why? Why are you...?"_

_The woman leaning over him and holding the pillow down over his face trembled as his muffled voice reached her. His hands grabbed wildly at her wrists, his small fingernails scratching the fine skin. _

_He wondered why she didn't answer him._

_"Mother?" he said, more weakly._

_"Maria-sama!" cried a familiar, feminine voice._

_Orochi found new strength in his small arms and struggled harder._

_"Kaiyo!" he screamed through the pillow._

_But he could only manage the name once._

_"Maria-sama, what are you doing? Stop!"_

_"Maria, for the love of kami, stop!" cried Isas's frantic voice._

_Strong arms pulled the woman off of the bed, and the pillow fell away from Orochi's face. He fled the bed, diving into Kaiyo's comforting embrace. He caught a frightening glimpse of his mother's enraged expression, then buried his face in Kaiyo's shoulder, shivering under her hands as his mother screamed in frustration._

_"Get your hands off of my son, you despicable peasant WHORE!" she howled, "You tried to kill him!"_

_"Shh...there now," Isas said soothingly, "It's all right now. It's going to be all right. Maria, dear, please. Please be calm."_

_"But she has my son! She tried to kill him to spite me! She's whispering all sorts of hateful things to him! Can't you hear? Orochi! Orochi," she sobbed, "Come to Mommy! Come, Orochi!"_

_His hands held on more tightly to Kaiyo and he dug his face deeper into the housemaid's shoulder._

_"Orochi," said his father, "Come here."_

_"N-no! No!" he cried, holding on tightly to Kaiyo._

_"It's all right. I need you to help me calm her down. She needs to see that you are all right. Come."_

_He swallowed hard and unclenched his hands, feeling suddenly very small as Kaiyo released him and reluctantly exited the room. Orochi moved towards his parents on shaky legs, his black eyes wide and frightened. His mother lifted her head and looked at him, and Orochi froze, staring back at her. The deadly glare was gone, and had been replaced with a look of teary relief._

_"Orochi," she said softly, sniffing and wiping away tears._

_He stood still, his chest heaving softly and his eyes still wide and distressed._

_"Come," his father said quietly, "It will be all right."_

_He didn't know what made his legs move again, but somehow managed to close the distance between them. He kept his eyes on his father as his mother's quivering arms wrapped around him._

_"Orochi," she whispered, "My sweet, beautiful son."_

_"Mother?"_

_"She is gone. Don't worry," Kuchiki Maria said soothingly, "I won't let her get near you again."_

_"But...?"_

_"Shh," his mother went on, her eyes gentle again, "I will keep you safe from her. That peasant trash will never touch you again."_

_He didn't dare answer her, but relaxed in her arms, waiting as his father invoked a kido spell and sent her off to sleep._

_"Son, I know that her behavior is confusing. She is very ill. She needs special help, and will have to go away from home for a while for that."_

_"No!" Orochi objected, confusion making him uncertain, "She said that it would be all right if you make Kaiyo-san go away! She said that Kaiyo-san is making it happen! Send Kaiyo-san away!"_

_Isas closed his eyes and took a steadying breath._

_"She was wrong to say those things, segare. They are not the truth. Your mother is confused. She is...ill."_

_"No! She said that you should make Kaiyo-san leave and it would be all right!" Orochi sobbed, "Make her leave and Mother will get well again!"_

_"Go to the kitchen now," his father instructed him, "Cook will make you something to eat."_

_"I don't want to eat!" Orochi shouted, "I just want to..."_

_He broke off and began to struggle as his father started to lift Kuchiki Maria into his arms._

_"No! Don't take her away! Don't take her away! I hate you! I HATE YOU AND THAT PEASANT WHORE! You ruined EVERYTHING! If she didn't have that baby...!"_

_"Orochi, where did you hear that?" his father asked sternly._

_"I heard Taba and Eri say that Mother went crazy because of Kaiyo having a baby!"_

_Isas shook his head firmly._

_"You don't know what you're talking about, Son. There was no..."_

_"LIAR! Mother said there was a baby! You're lying! I know you are!" he screamed, "Leave me alone! I hate you! I hate you both!"_

_He ran from the room sobbing, and ignoring his father's frantic calls for him to stop. He ran aimlessly through the gardens and collapsed under a plum tree beside a small koi pond, crying piteously._

_"I don't believe you!" he sobbed, "There was a baby! There was! I will find him. I will find him and I will kill him. I will kill him for making mother sick!"_

Orochi laid suspended beneath the turbulent surface of the water, his mind spinning with the memory and muddied even further by his father's last words.

_I have something to tell you._

His hands clenched and he felt his lungs screaming for air. He felt again the sensation of the pillow over his face, held down by the confused woman who was trying to kill him.

"No!" he screamed into the water.

His frozen legs found new strength and he kicked hard, straining madly for the surface. His mind spun and his father's voice continued.

_"Segare, things are not what they seemed...n-not at all."_

Water invaded his mouth and nose as he screamed again to block out the voice and kicked harder.

_"K-kaiyo...Kaiyo-san is..."_

Orochi's body broke the surface of the roiling lake and his pained howl blended with the cracking of thunder.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up, you BASTARD!"

He sucked in water and coughed violently, then squinted in the darkness and found a bit of shoreline. Gritting his teeth, he threw himself against the current and headed for the safety of solid ground. His feet found purchase a few minutes later and he crawled onto the shore, collapsing in the rain soaked sand and barely registering the rain that pelted down on his back.

"Water," he mused, "It figures that the hell we'd end up in would be filled with water that can drown me and not harm you, ne Tetsuya? You're probably laughing at me."

He closed his eyes and tried to sense Tetsuya's direction, his breath catching as he found nothing, at first. Focusing harder brought a weak flicker that came from the direction of the water. Orochi rested for several minutes longer, then climbed wearily to his feet and started down the beach, following the shoreline. To his relief, the beach angled around the lake and the soft glow of Tetsuya's reiatsu seemed to come from someplace ahead of him, and out of the water. Some time later, he found the glimmer of shielding within the rocks, some twenty or so yards from the shore.

He moved faster, drawn on by the promise of warmth within the barrier, and found Tetsuya lying, curled within a small alcove in the rocks, with Kisho held snugly against his body and the protective shield around them. A gratified sigh escaped him as the barrier allowed him to pass, and he found respite from the rain and cold near his cousin's side. He was unnerved by the fact that Tetsuya didn't wake at his approach, nor did he respond as Orochi gently tried to shake him awake.

"Tetsuya?"

A shiver went through him as the heat of his cousin's skin seeped into his hand.

"Damn it," he muttered, "You didn't rest for long enough before our enemies attacked."

He carefully extracted Kisho from the younger man's arms, breathing a few words of reassurance as Tetsuya stirred sluggishly and moaned in protest.

"K-kisho!"

"Be still," he said in a low voice, "Your illness has returned and you need to rest. I will tend to the heir."

"No...no, I..."

"Be quiet and don't strain yourself. You don't want to make things worse."

Tetsuya groaned and shuddered, then his eyes opened and looked dazedly up into Orochi's.

"Don't...hurt him."

Orochi shook his head and frowned.

"I have no reason to hurt this child, Tetsuya. Nor you. Be quiet and rest."

"But," Tetsuya panted, "You hate us."

"No."

"You have always hated me."

Orochi bit his lip gently.

"That is in the past. Forget it, Tetsuya. All that matters now is survival. We have to survive and find a way back. Rest now, so that you will be strong enough to do that."

Tetsuya's blue eyes blinked in confusion.

"You...don't hate us anymore? Why not? Are we not still of poorer blood? Are we not beneath you?"

Orochi stiffened. Then, he reached down and sent a throb of kido into Tetsuya's body, making him fall into a deep sleep. He held the sleeping baby against him and pressed into the corner of the alcove, grateful for the protection of the shield around them.

_Nothing,_ he mused grimly, _Nothing is as I thought it was. The past is just a sea of lies. There are more lies in that place than there are raindrops falling here. If I hadn't forgotten how to cry long ago, my tears would join them._

_How could they do this to me?_

XXXXXXXXXX

"What is it? What's happening?" Renji called out to the house guard, his hand on his weapon.

"There was an attack on Urahara Kisuke's residence," reported the guard, "Word has come that there were several killed and many injured."

"Is there word on whether Tetsuya and Kisho were among the casualties?" Byakuya asked stridently.

"No," the guard said, shaking his head, "We know that some shinigamis entered the precipice world, but none reached the Seireitei."

"Did they...?" Renji began.

"None returned to the living world either. Sirs, it seems that all who entered the precipice world must have perished!"

"Come, Renji," Byakuya said, moving to open a senkaimon.

"But Kuchiki-sama!" the guard objected, "The precipice world is not secure. It isn't safe for you to...!"

"Hey!" yelled Renji, "Our kid and one of his fathers are back there! There is no way we are leaving Tetsuya and Kisho there! Get out of the way!"

Byakuya and Renji pushed past the sputtering guard and ran into the opened senkaimon. They proceeded at flash step speed, their sharp eyes peering into the darkness and their senses extended.

"I don't sense anyone ahead," Renji said, looking around.

"Stay on your guard," Byakuya warned him, "We do not know what happened to the ones who entered the precipice world. There could be enemies anywhere along the way."

The two continued swiftly down the dim corridor, remaining quiet and focused, both prepared to fight at a moment's notice, and concentrating on finding any hint of Tetsuya or Kisho's reiatsu.

"Maybe they are still at Kisuke's," Renji said hopefully.

"Perhaps," Byakuya said through tightened lips.

They said no more until they reached the exit that led into the secret training ground beneath Urahara's shop. As they emerged, they were met with the threatening points of numerous blades and a shout of warning. Then, the two were recognized and waved on to where Kisuke awaited them in the shop.

"Byakuya-san, Renji-san," he said, acknowledging them, "I would have thought that you would be back in the Seireitei with Tetsuya and your son."

"What?" asked the noble, his face paling, "You mean...Tetsuya and Kisho left here?"

Kisuke nodded grimly.

We took in a group of shinigamis who were beat up by quincys from one of the remaining 'killer cells.' There were a lot of injuries, so the shop was full of people. Tetsuya-san had improved, and so he was taking care of Kisho. When the attack began, I held them off at one end of the hallway, and I told Tetsuya to take Kisho and run for the underground training area senkaimon. After the battle, we sensed his reiatsu, Kisho's and Orochi-san's at the senkaimon entrance."

"Orochi was with Tetsuya and Kisho?" Byakuya asked, his eyes darkening.

"We don't know," said Kisuke, shaking his head, "We can only place all three in this area at around the same time. We can't determine who entered the senkaimon first, or if they were together. There was just such chaos when those bastards attacked. Half the guys we had just healed were killed. Tessai took some damage too. I'm sorry, Byakuya-san. These guys may just be the remnants of Bach's forces, but they are still very dangerous, as this proves."

"Yeah," said Renji, "Well, at least we have a starting point."

"And perhaps an ending point as well," Byakuya said solemnly.

"Hey, don't say that," the redhead objected, "There are still possibilities, you know? Kisho's a baby and Tetsuya was sick. Maybe their reiatsu was too weak to be sensed. Maybe the quincys screwed with the precipice world and threw off the twelfth's ability to track them. They could have entered Hueco Mundo."

"Or," Byakuya said, frowning, "They could have met up with Orochi. He is capable of hiding their reiatsu."

"You think he abducted them?" asked Renji, his red-brown eyes flickering malevolently.

"I do not know," confessed the clan leader, "But he would have had the opportunity amidst all of the confusion."

"Damn!" muttered Renji, "How do we check out all of these possibilities? I mean, we may not have much time to work with here!"

"Then, let us help," said a male voice from behind Kisuke.

Byakuya and Renji looked up in surprise as Kuchiki Koji, Torio, Sadao, Mai, Aratani and Kohana joined them. Sadao stepped forward and bowed his head respectfully.

"Tetsuya is a part of my subfamily, and he is my son," he said quietly, "Whatever needs to be done, we are at your disposal, Byakuya-sama."

"Very well," Byakuya said gratefully, Kohana, as you are in the military, you and Aratani will go to the twelfth division to check their records of passages through the precipice world. Torio and Koji, you will go to Isas's residence with a contingent of house guards and search for any clues there. Sadao and Mai, you will check to see if they may have entered Hueco Mundo. Renji and I will begin from this point and try to reconstruct their path from here."

The group dispersed, leaving Byakuya and Renji at the senkaimon entrance.

"All right," said Byakuya, examining the traces of reiatsu at the opening, "The three of them passed through here, and that is the last time they were seen. There are signs of a skirmish, and a few traces of blood, but it does not appear that any of them were in quincy custody when entering here."

"So, they escaped into the precipice world, then what?" mused Renji.

They stepped into the senkaimon, then pulled up short as they were greeted by a frantic whinny.

"Fleabag!" exclaimed Renji, "There you are! Did you find Tetsuya and Kisho?"

_No. I know that they entered the precipice world, and that my master was in some kind of distress. There was fighting going on, and they were in danger. I felt a moment of intense fear, then Tetsuya's voice disappeared from my mind. I have called to him repeatedly, but I cannot connect with him._

"Damn!" Renji swore.

"That can only mean one of three things," Byakuya said grimly, "They may have been killed while still within the precipice world, they may have been abducted by someone who knew of Arashi's connection with Tetsuya, or..."

He paused, looking unnerved.

"...or...they may have taken refuge in an uncharted pocket dimension within the precipice world."

"Holy shit," Renji breathed, "You don't think they'd really do that, do you? Some of those places are just death traps."

"And many contain beings trapped there in the past to remove them from our society," Byakuya added, "The doorways that open into them are not so much under our control..."

"So, entering them can be a one-way trip," finished the redhead.

"Yes," agreed the noble, "But...despite everything, it does leave us with hope that they are still alive."

"Holy hell," mused Renji, "Who'd have thought we'd find ourselves ever thinking that Orochi abducting them would be the better option..."

Byakuya moved forward and studied the area around them, then looked back at Arashi.

"Arashi," he said quietly, "I want you to track Tetsuya to the best of your ability. Being in tune with him as you are, you will pick up smaller traces than we can. Start here, where we have lost track of him, and see if you can find anything...anything at all."

_Of course, Byakuya-sama._

The stallion closed his blue eyes and stood for a moment, reading the last traces of Tetsuya's passing, and trying to connect with his master's mind.

_I still cannot sense where Tetsuya is now, _he admitted, _but...I am getting a sense of what was happening through emotional markers and flash images he left behind._

"What do you see?" asked Byakuya.

_Very little here. He was afraid. I see an image of him carrying Kisho and..._

The stallion made a deep sound of angry discontent.

"What is it?" Renji asked quickly, "What's wrong?"

_That man._

_Orochi was with him._


	5. Don't Look Back

**Chapter 5: Don't Look Back**

_"Wh-why? Why are you doing this?" Tetsuya panted, straining against the bonds that held his wrists, "Aren't we cousins? Why would you do this to your family?"_

_He stifled a yelp as something snapped across his back once...twice...three times. Then, Orochi laid down on top of him. He leaned down and hissed into Tetsuya's flushed ear as he entered his cousin roughly, ignoring the sounds of his pain._

_"You are no family of mine, half-blood! You stole something that wasn't yours! Your whore of a mother blackened something pure, and you are going to pay for that!"_

_"Orochi-sama, no!" Tetsuya cried, making a sound of agony, "Please, stop! Orochi-sama!"_

_"Please, Orochi-sama!" said another male voice, "Don't hurt Tetsuya-kun anymore. He has obeyed everything you said! You said that if he..."_

_"Shut up!" Orochi snapped, swinging the whip that he had used on Tetsuya._

_Tetsuya heard a sound of impact and Naoki gasped and put a hand to his face. Tetsuya's eyes widened at the sight of his lover, holding a hand to his reddened cheek and fighting tears._

_"Stop, Orochi-sama!" he cried, throwing himself wildly against his bonds, "Don't hurt him! He was only defending me. Stop it!"_

"Hold still," Orochi said in a low, tired voice, "I am only healing your arm. It was broken badly."

Tetsuya groaned and shivered, flinching but holding his arm still as the other man continued to heal it. Next to them, Kisho squawked unhappily, then started to cry. Tetsuya pulled the little bundle closer, using his uninjured arm, and hummed softly, soothing the boy while Orochi continued the healing. Gradually, the baby quieted and fell asleep, leaving Tetsuya looking out at the rainy and still dark environs. A soft shiver went through his still feverish body as he noticed the other man stealing glances at him.

"How long have we been here?" he asked, mostly to break the tension between them.

"Who knows?" Orochi sighed wearily, "The rain hasn't stopped and there has been no 'daytime.' Lovely place, this. But then, you aren't really bothered by rain so much, ne?"

"I can't drown and I won't freeze to death, but the cold is still uncomfortable," Tetsuya explained.

"It isn't too terribly cold," Orochi informed him, "That's just the fever, making you shiver like that. I just hope that this rain lets up and we get some light soon so that I can go and find a few provisions for us. As much as we don't require food, it would certainly help you throw off this illness and would help both of us recover more quickly from our wounds."

"Were you injured?" Tetsuya asked, sitting up too quickly, only to be gently shoved back down.

"Don't try to get up yet. You're still feverish. You've put too much stress on yourself too soon after having Kisho-sama."

Tetsuya wondered why the words struck him as odd, then realized.

_He doesn't usually refer to us by name when it isn't required. He usually calls him 'the heir, the child,' or 'the boy.' So strange..._

Orochi leaned over Tetsuya, taking hold of his injured arm and lifting a length of vine he had pulled from the nearby brush.

"I haven't anything to wrap your arm with as it heals, but this is strong enough, I think, to hold it in place."

"Thank you."

Their eyes met for a moment and both men froze. Orochi shook his head and went back to the healing as Tetsuya noticed a nasty gash on one side of the other man's face. He waited until Orochi was absorbed in healing his broken arm, then reached up with his uninjured hand and touched his fingertips to the wound, loosing a flare of healing power.

"Stop that," Orochi said curtly, swatting his hand away, "You should save your energy."

Tetsuya's lips tightened and he glared back at his cousin, lifting his hand to Orochi's face again. Orochi's black eyes narrowed, but he said nothing as Tetsuya's warm fingertips followed the jagged line of the cut, first easing the sting of it, then slowly making it disappear. He spotted blood on Orochi's near shoulder and slid his fingers underneath the other man's torn kimono, seeking the wound.

"That's enough, all right?" Orochi snapped, pulling away, "I can take care of myself. Just try to sleep. I am going out to see if I can find something for us to eat. And Kisho-sama should have short infusions of reiatsu, as we have nothing to feed him."

"I can manage that."

"Fine," Orochi said shortly, "I will be back."

"Orochi..."

The other man paused, facing away from him, then looked back over his shoulder.

"I won't leave you, Tetsuya."

"I know," Tetsuya said quietly, "I only wanted to say, be careful."

"Hmmm," Orochi muttered, passing through the reiatsu barrier and crawling back out onto the rain soaked beach.

Tetsuya sat up and picked up the sleeping baby, resting him gently against a warm shoulder and humming softly as he watched Orochi disappear into the darkness.

_Come back soon._

XXXXXXXXXX

"I think we have established that they set out in the direction of the Seireitei," said Byakuya, "The reiatsu traces support that."

"But they also show that someone was after them, and sometimes with them," added Renji.

_Look here, _said Arashi, indicating a splash of blood on the floor of the corridor, _My master was injured!_

"I think they headed this way," said Byakuya, turning them down another passageway.

They followed the passage through several twists and turns, then came to a split.

"They went to the right here," Renji said, studying the signs, "But...the trail ends here."

He looked back at Byakuya and shook his head.

"The cleaner's been through here and destroyed anything that was left behind."

_Then, we will search this corridor and see if we can find where they emerged._

The three made their way down the corridor slowly, their senses extended and their eyes searching every inch of ground, wall and among the small recesses. Renji caught his breath in dismay as they turned a corner and came to a dead end.

"Shit," he muttered, "What the hell is this?"

He met Byakuya's eyes and read the unspoken concern.

"I'm sure they weren't in here when the cleaner came through," he said, trying to reassure the noble.

"Arashi, please wait here so that we do not lose our way back to this corridor," Byakuya said quietly.

The two shinigamis walked back to the beginning of the corridor and checked several others. Finding no sign of Tetsuya, Kisho or Orochi, they returned to the corridor where Arashi waited.

"There are several exits along here," Renji posited, "They must have used one to escape."

"Kami help them if they did," Byakuya said worriedly, "These are mostly uncharted, and a few have been locked to prevent entry."

"Hey," said the redhead bracingly, "I'm sure they're okay. They just ducked into one of these, and maybe are having a little trouble getting back."

"We shall have to be careful that we do not become likewise trapped as we search for them."

"Well, the good news," Renji said, trying to lighten the mood, "is that the damned cleaner isn't going to get in our way. We have six days until it comes down here again, ne?"

"Theoretically," Byakuya answered, "That is how it is supposed to work."

"Eh? Theoretically?" Renji repeated, looking unsettled, "Taichou...!"

"Byakuya," the noble said firmly, "Renji, I find it disturbing that my _husband_ is forgetting to use my name."

"But...!"

"It will be fine," the noble assured him, "I was just saying that there are exceptions to every rule, so we should not let our guard down."

"You can fucking say that again!" the redhead sighed anxiously, looking around them, "Great. Note to self; Watch out for unscheduled cleaner appearances. Terrific. Just one more reason to _love _the precipice world, ne?"

Relax, Abarai," Byakuya said, smirking, "I was only teasing you."

"Huh. At least, you think so, right? Sheesh! I still can't get out of this place fast enough. Hey Fleabag! Anything new to report?"

_No,_ the stallion communicated, an irritated edge to his voice as it sounded in Renji's mind, _But keep calling me that and you'll find yourself locked in one of these pocket dimensions for awhile!_

"Hehe, just kidding with you," said the redhead, "Take it easy."

"I think we're all on edge," mused Byakuya, scanning the corridor wall and choosing an exit.

He studied the door for a moment.

"This one's charted," said Renji, touching several buttons on a scanning device he took from within his uniform, "Do not enter-Poisonous atmosphere. I guess this one's out."

The three moved on to the next doorway.

"Charted also," Renji reported, "Hostile atmosphere, some innocuous living creatures, a scattering of poisonous animals and plants, no intelligent life. Must be that Orochi's 'man cave.' Wanna check it out?"

Byakuya frowned.

"I do not want to waste effort, but as we cannot be sure where they were when the cleaner came through, it could be _any_ of these. We shall have to eliminate them one by one."

"Okay," Renji said, nodding, "I'll take this. You stay here with Fleabag and make sure that doorway stays open."

"Abarai..." Byakuya objected.

"Byakuya, you're still officially on injury leave from the battles with the quincys."

"I am aware of that."

"And as the ranking _on duty_ officer, I'll be checking this one out," Renji insisted.

"Very well," Byakuya sighed, "Just be cautious."

"Hey, I am _always_ cautious," the redhead said, touching the entry door with the tip of his sword.

The exit door opened, and a long tentacle shot through and wrapped around Renji, taking him off his feet and yanking him through the opening.

"Whoa! What the...!" he cried.

"Renji!" Byakuya gasped, watching in dismay as the redhead was dragged into the pocket dimension, "Arashi, make sure the doorway remains opened!"

He flash stepped through the doorway and shot towards the huge, tentacled creature that dangled an upside down Renji over its lumpish, gray body.

"Renji!" Byakuya called to him, "Just stay put. I will handle him."

"Wha-?" Renji yelped, "Like I can go anywhere!"

Byakuya stifled a smile and approached the creature with his weapon drawn.

"You there," he said calmly, "Put my husband down!"

"Oh, like _that's _gonna work!" Renji said sarcastically, "Does this thing even understand you? I don't think so!"

"I was _attempting _to establish contact, as is required by our rules for making contact with a species of unknown intelligence," the noble stated calmly.

"Contact hell!" Renji objected, yanking his sword free, "I'll make contact! Let me down, you big, smelly son of a bitch! There, see? Same reaction as to your nicey-nice a...AUGH!"

Byakuya inhaled in surprise as a huge, toothy hole opened up on the top of the creature, and it began to lower the struggling redhead towards it.

"Oh, shit! Shit! Shit! Byakuya!"

The tentacle released him suddenly, and Renji began to fall towards the creature's mouth.

"RENJI!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya came awake suddenly, frowning at the odd silence, then realized that the rain outside the barrier had stopped. He set the sleeping baby down and slipped out of the protected area, onto the beach, peering about in the darkness for any sign of his cousin.

"Orochi-san?" he called, looking around.

He closed his eyes and extended his senses, casting about for the other man's reiatsu.

"Orochi-san?" he said again, angling towards where he heard some splashing and commotion.

He heard a male voice cry out in pain, then saw a dark form fly through the air and crash down into the water.

"Orochi!" Tetsuya cried, flash stepping forward.

He dove into the water, slicing through it easily, honing in on the body of his cousin, that was sinking down into the water.

_Orochi!_

The body in the water ahead of him struggled for a moment, then fell still and began to fall farther down into the blackness.

_No!_

Tetsuya dove down, his uninjured hand reaching out and grasping. He took hold of Orochi's wrist and pulled his cousin close, wrapping his protective power around the other man, allowing him to breathe under the water. He pulled Orochi to the surface and looked around.

_Oh my kami!_

His stunned eyes found a large, fur covered beast pacing the shore, and looking out over the water with malevolent, glowing red eyes. The eyes glowed more brightly as they spotted him, and the creature snarled viciously. He picked up a boulder and hurled it out across the water in the direction of the two shinigamis.

"Oh!" gapsed Tetsuya, pulling Orochi down into the water and turning back towards their place of concealment.

_I must get back quickly. Kisho-sama is safe inside the barrier, but with a beast like that wandering about, we should use a stronger reiatsu cage instead of a simpler barrier._

Orochi stirred within his grasp, struggling until he realized that he was having no trouble breathing beneath the water's surface. He held on tightly to Tetsuya's hand, kicking with only one foot and favoring the other. They emerged onto the beach, coughing and sputtering as they expelled the water from their lungs, then crawled to the barrier and fell inside, panting harshly and peering out into the darkness.

Tetsuya quickly strengthened the protective barrier as Ocrochi bared his injured foot and gazed down at his swollen ankle.

"What happened?" Tetsuya asked softly.

"I found some berries that are safe to eat," Orochi explained, "I had picked some and was about to head back, when that thing came out of the brush and attacked me. I imagine it felt that I had infringed on its territory and didn't take kindly to me helping myself to its berries."

He shook his head ruefully, looking down at a large, dark stain on his torn kimono.

"It looks as though the ones that were not smashed in the fighting must have slipped out of my pocket in the water."

He slipped out of the kimono, leaving him in a white yukata that had been underneath.

"Well, this looks done for," he muttered, "I'm glad it wasn't a favorite."

"I am glad you weren't badly hurt," said Tetsuya, leaning forward and infusing the other man's injured ankle with healing reiatsu.

Orochi flinched and looked as though he wanted to speak, but tightened his lips and watched in silence as Tetsuya healed him. Tetsuya finished the healing, then started to administer a pain block.

"Wait," Orochi said, stopping him and placing a hand on the one that rested on his ankle.

Tetsuya looked at him in askance.

"The pain block will dull my senses," Orochi explained, "and we have to be ready to fight, if need be."

"Very well," Tetsuya said, looking down at their touching hands.

Orochi followed his gaze, then lifted his hand away from Tetsuya's and turned away to face Kisho. The Kuchiki heir looked up at him through pretty blue eyes and gurgled happily.

Tetsuya smiled.

"He is grateful to you for taking care of him," he said softly, "And...I am as well."

"You shouldn't be, Tetsuya," Orochi said, still facing away from him, "All I have ever been to you is a torment. You should hate me more than I thought I hated you. The things I did to you, thinking that you deserved it..."

He swallowed hard and shook his head firmly.

"You should despise me, Tetsuya."

"But _why_?" asked the younger man, "I never understood what made you hate me so, Orochi-san. What did I ever do to you?"

Orochi let out a sarcastic puff of air.

"Nothing," he said, closing his eyes, "It turns out that you never did anything at all."


	6. To Protect and to Avenge

**Chapter 6: To Protect and to Avenge**

_"I never understood what made you hate me so, Orochi-san. What did I ever do to you?"_

_Orochi let out a sarcastic puff of air._

_"Nothing," he said, closing his eyes, "It turns out that you never did anything at all. The person who I should have been blaming for what happened wasn't you, Tetsuya. It was me."_

"What do you mean?" asked Tetsuya.

Orochi shook his head dismissively, leaving Tetsuya certain that he hadn't meant to let such a comment slip.

"It doesn't matter," he said off-handedly, picking up the cooing infant and resting him against a warm shoulder.

Kisho's tiny fingers sought the dangling strands of the man's hair, first patting gently, then curling and grabbing the still wet ends. Tetsuya watched curiously as his cousin's face registered surprise, then darkened with pain that looked to be nearly unspeakable, but which he forced away with an effort as he focused more intently in the baby's sweet, winsome face.

_You are lucky not to comprehend the blackness of our worlds and the people in it. I wish we all could stay like that. There are some things that we should never know._

"Orochi-san, were you able to fix on the exit point from where you were before?" Tetsuya asked, trying to change the subject, "I have tried several times, but cannot sense it. But then, my reiatsu may just be too low from my illness."

"It is not that," Orochi said, his hands trembling slightly where they held on to Kisho, "I cannot sense it either. It may be that the storms are unsettling things too much or..."

He trailed off, not wanting voice the other painful possibility.

_We could be trapped here with no way out, _Tetsuya surmised.

_Lost._

_But thank kami that Kisho and I aren't alone._

He studied his cousin's face quietly in the half light, wondering at the intensity of the emotion he found there. He had never seen such a thing in Orochi. Anger, yes. Fury and hatred that had been eerily palpable as he had lain torments upon Tetsuya's restrained body in the half-breed's prison. But now, the hatred was gone and as he regarded Kisho, he only looked tired and unbearably sad.

"Byakuya-sama and Renji-san will find us," he said, as much to reassure himself as Orochi.

His cousin met his eyes skeptically.

"Come now, Cousin," he said, shaking his head, "You saw how difficult it was for me to open the doorway into this world. It raises the likelihood that this pocket dimension we are in was deemed too dangerous and locked to prevent entry. Even if we are sensed within that corridor, they would have a hard time divining which doorway we passed through."

"But they are connected to us...through Kisho," Tetsuya insisted, "And that means that..."

"Even if they sense him," Orochi said, lowering his eyes, "and even if he somehow can recognize their call and respond in some way, there is still no assurance that they will be able to reach us, Tetsuya. I am not saying that we should abandon all hope. I am just saying that we cannot overlook the possibility that we will not be able to escape this place."

He sighed softly, closing his eyes again and breathing in Kisho's pleasant scent.

"And...we should probably assume that if indeed this was a locked dimension, there is an enemy here that is much greater in power than that nightmare that already nearly killed me."

Tetsuya shivered softly at the words, and his wide blue eyes strayed to the reiatsu cage that protected them. Orochi's eyes followed his gaze, and registered the barest flicker of sympathy.

"That barrier," he whispered, "is our strongest defense against whatever is out there. If it breaks through that, then we are lost."

Tetsuya touched a pale, shaking hand to the barrier and slowly infused it with power.

"Then," he replied softly, "this is going to have to hold against whatever is out there."

Orochi watched him wordlessly, his hands holding baby Kisho a bit more tightly.

_Tetsuya, don't you understand?_

_We are going to die here...together._

XXXXXXXXXX

"RENJI!" Byakuya cried, flash stepping madly as the redhead fell towards the monster's wide, toothy maw.

Renji closed his eyes, nearly choking on the creature's putrid breath as he tumbled downward. His breath left him as something snatched him away from the beast and flash stepped away again. He opened his eyes to find Byakuya holding him tightly and backing away as the monstrous creature advanced on them.

"I think that we can agree with the report that said the environment here is hostile!" Renji shouted, regaining his feet, "This looks damned hostile to me!"

"Hostile and powerful," Byakuya warned him, "Be careful, Abarai."

"Oh, now you tell me," Renji chuckled, drawing his weapon and preparing to release it.

"Wait," the noble warned him, placing a staying hand over his, "Those sticky appendages. They do not just grab. They eat reiatsu. When it captured you, it drained off some of your reiatsu."

"Eh," Renji muttered, shaking his head unhappily, "You're right. Damn."

"We need to keep our distance...and I think my bankai is more suited to this than yours. You stick to kido and only call on your bankai as a last resort."

"You've got it, Taichou," the redhead said, flash stepping away.

"Bankai," Byakuya said, raising his blade, point down, then letting it go, "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

"Byakuya, look out!" screamed Renji as new tendrils shot up from the ground underneath him and wrapped around his legs, arms and the hilt of his weapon, "Hado number 31, Shakkhou!"

A series of red fireballs erupted from the redhead's extended hands as he dodged the sweeping limbs that sought to grab them. Byakuya's petal blades slashed at the attacking creature, but then flickered oddly and dropped to the ground as the power controlling them was drained from Byakuya's struggling body.

"Damn it!" Renji yelled, flash stepping wildly, altering course repeatedly as the creature's attacking arms sought to capture him. Byakuya slashed at the limbs that had captured him as he was lifted up into the air, then smashed down into the unforgiving ground several times.

"Byakuya!" howled Renji, "Bankai! Hihio Zabimaru!"

He only waited until the beast's head rose up, then hastily gave the attack command.

"Hikotsu taihou!"

The skeletal snake fired itself at the monsterous creature, blasting him with a stunning fireball, before crashing into him and exploding, throwing its component parts in all directions, then slowly beginning to rebuild itself. Still staring into the smoky haze, Renji flash stepped to the downed noble, who accepted an offered hand and allowed himself to be helped to his feet.

"Arigatou," he panted.

"You all right?" Renji asked worriedly.

"Fine," Byakuya assured him, "but we cannot afford to fight here anymore. We need to have our reiatsu restored before we can continue our search. Come, let us return to Arashi quickly."

"Yeah," Renji agreed, moving to follow.

They climbed onto the mane of the skeletal snake and Renji ordered the beast up into the air. They headed for the open doorway where Arashi waited, their eyes watching carefully, the place where the beast had been. As the dust began to clear, Renji gave a cry of surprise as fresh limbs shot out and headed for them. But before they could act, a huge volley of ice blades erupted from the doorway ahead of them, arcing around the skeletal snake as it soared through the doorway and landed back in the precipice world. Byakuya invoked a sealing kido that snapped into place, just as the beast's limbs slammed into it. They heard a furious snarl, and then the seal activated, closing the doorway and leaving the corridor eerily silent.

"Ugh," muttered Renji, sheathing his blade and dropping onto his bottom, "I think 'hostile is too tame a word for that place."

"Agreed," Byakuya said wearily, patting Arashi on the satiny neck as the stallion began to restore his drained reiatsu.

"Fleabag," laughed Renji, "Thanks for the assist."

The stallion eyed him crossly and a tendril of smoke issued from his nose.

"Easy there, buddy, I was just messing with you," Renji added, smirking, "Don't get your tail in a twist."

Arashi snorted and flicked his tail about in annoyance as he continued restoring Byakuya's reiatsu. Renji sighed and started to lean back against the wall, but sat up straighter as a deep humming sound rose up in the distance. His eyes met Byakuya's questioningly, and the noble sighed.

"What the hell?" complained Renji, "I thought that motherfucker was only supposed to come around once every seven days! What the hell is this?"

"I was concerned this might happen," Byakuya said, shaking his head and standing.

He scanned the walls quickly and headed for one of the available doorways.

"What are you doing?" the redhead asked, rising to follow.

"The rate of kido disruption in this area alerted the cleaner, and it is coming to diffuse the overload of power in the area. This pocket dimension is charted and safe. Arashi will be able to restore us, and we can come back through once we are restored and the cleaner has gone by."

"All right," grumbled Renji, "but this is getting ridiculous. We have to find Tetsuya and Kisho quickly."

"I know," Byakuya answered, stepping through the doorway and flash stepping down to a tranquil looking glen in the pocket dimension, "But we'll do them no good if we are too drained to help them. Come, Renji."

Still mumbling discontentedly, Renji followed the noble and the stallion down into the pocket dimension, biting at his lips anxiously as he pondered what might have befallen Byakuya's gentler cousin and the newborn heir.

_We're coming for you and Kisho, Tetsuya. Just hang in there. We'll come for you. I swear, we will._

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya felt a soft catch in his chest as the storm winds rose again and rain pounded down on the rocks around them and the sturdy reiatsu cage that protected and concealed them. Despite the protection his zanpakutou granted him from drowning or freezing, he had always been afraid of heavy storms. Even protected as they were from the flashes of lightning, he shivered inwardly and his eyes widened as thunder made the ground underneath them shudder. He swallowed hard and curled closer to the sleeping baby, his eyes looking out through the barrier and his heart skipping fitfully. He flinched reflexively as Orochi's body shifted and his cousin's arm wrapped around his waist. He opened his mouth, ready to protest, then closed it again as the other man's voice sounded quietly in his ear.

"I had forgotten how fearful you were of the weather," he commented, "Do you mean to tell me that, as powerful as you have grown, you still fear this?"

"I am fine," the younger shinigami said stiffly, trying to pull away, then groaning as Kisho stirred, and his voice rose up in a discomfited wail.

He turned onto his back, laying the infant on his chest and rubbing his back as Kisho squawked unhappily and dug his tiny fingers into Tetsuya's damp yukata.

"There now," he said softly, his voice shaking slightly as the thunder rumbled through again, "Settle down and go back to sleep, little one."

He started to sing in a low, soothing voice, but froze as Orochi stiffened against his side, catching his breath in surprise.

"What is it?" he asked quickly, "What's wrong?"

Orochi stared at him fixedly in the darkness.

"Where did you learn that song?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"From my mother," Tetsuya said, gazing back at him curiously, "Why? What is wrong?"

Orochi continued to look at him through haunted eyes.

"Nothing. It's fine," he managed, turning away, "Go on with it."

He shivered as Tetsuya's voice sounded again, singing softly and sending him back into a dim, flickering memory.

_Orochi heard footsteps in the hallway and scuttled off of his bed and onto the floor. He crawled under his bed, watching as the door opened and someone stepped into the bedroom._

_"Orochi-chan?" said Kaiyo's sweet voice, making him peek out at her warily._

_The housemaid spotted him and laughed softly, her smile coaxing him out from under the bed and into her arms._

_"What's wrong, little one? You can't sleep without your mother to come and tuck you in?"_

_He sniffed softly and nodded, his small arms wrapping around the woman's shoulders as she lifted him and laid him gently back in bed._

_"When will she come home?" he asked, shivering as thunder sounded outside, and rain began to strike the window near his bed._

_"I am not sure," Kaiyo answered, looking out the window, into the darkness, "You know that she is very ill, and we are all wanting her to get well, so that she can come home."_

_"Kaiyo-san, why did mother say that she would only get better if you leave?" he asked, looking up into the housemaid's gentle eyes, "Did you do something that made mother try to kill me like that?"_

_"Orochi-chan," Kaiyo said, her eyes tearing as she held him against her shoulder, "I wouldn't do anything to hurt you or your mother and father. It is only your mother's illness that makes her think in such a way. Go to sleep now. I will stay here until you are sleeping."_

_He closed his eyes and started to drift off, while she hummed softly and stroked his hair lightly. He was nearly asleep when she started to sing, the gentleness in her tone and words soothing him inside and driving away the awful mix of longing and fear that he always encountered when he thought of his long absent mother. For a time, everything disappeared, but he was shaken back into awareness by a loud peal of thunder._

Orochi's eyes flew open as thunder boomed loudly, waking Kisho and making the infant squeal loudly with fear. Tetsuya's weary voice sounded next to him, and after a few minutes, the baby quieted. Orochi closed his eyes again, but couldn't suppress a shiver as lightning flashed and the thunder made the air around them vibrate. Kisho whined in his sleep, but didn't wake. Tetsuya started to sing softly again, and the tune and words brought calm back into Orochi's exhausted mind. His arm that was still curled around Tetsuya's waist tightened, and he pressed closer to his cousin, blinking in confusion as Tetsuya's voice seemed to harmonize with that of Kaiyo's. It sounded lovely, the two voices blending sweetly and sending flickers of warmth through Orochi's long-frozen heart. He couldn't think of sleeping anymore as the sound captivated his tired mind and aching heart, bringing to the fore his sadness at losing his father and Kaiyo as well. Whatever he might feel about the lies and deceptions of the past, the loss was new, and only now becoming real to him. Tears rose in his eyes and one leaked onto his face. He realized suddenly that Tetsuya's voice had gone silent, that his cousin had turned to face him, and that Tetsuya was now staring at him in dismay.

"Orochi-san?" he whispered, reaching out a hand, and capturing the falling tear with a pale fingertip.

"Don't stop," he whispered back numbly, looking into his cousin's widened blue eyes and moving forward to bring his head to rest on Tetsuya's shoulder.

Tetsuya went still and perfectly silent for a moment, registering the desperation in the hands that held on to him and the body that rested closer now beside him.

"Orochi-san," he said softly, "I am sorry."

"Why?" Orochi asked bitterly, "Tetsuya, people die. We will too. There is nothing to gain by dwelling on it."

"It is still painful when it happens," Tetsuya answered, capturing his cousin's hand and bringing it to rest on Kisho's small, resting form, "But even so, just as there are lives ending, there are new ones beginning. Still, I am sorry for your loss."

"It...wasn't just my loss, Tetsuya," Orochi said, lifting his head and looking into the younger man's eyes again.

"What do you mean?"

"My father wasn't the only one who died. Our housemaid, Kaiyo, who has been with our family for many years also died in one of the attacks on our household."

"Oh. I am sorry to hear that," Tetsuya said sympathetically.

"Tetsuya, there is something that you should know. Kaiyo wasn't only our housemaid."

Tetsuya looked back at him questioningly.

"She was also your mother's sister."

"What?" Tetsuya whispered in a stunned voice.

Orochi swallowed hard.

"And...it wasn't my father's wife who gave birth to me."

"Orochi-san...!"

"It was Kaiyo."


	7. Who We Are

**Chapter 7: Who We Are**

**(Thanks to CallMeSenseiKuchiki (Yup, they are first cousins and did not know it. Orochi will reveal more here.) and Princess Moon Shadow for reviewing. Enjoy the new chapter!)**

"Orochi-san," Tetsuya whispered, disbelief flooding his eyes, "are you telling me that this housemaid, this sister of my mother was a surrogate, or..."

It wasn't nearly so uncomplicated as that," Orochi said cryptically, "You must understand that my mother and my father were in love, and Kaiyo was a very devoted servant, who had been in our subfamily almost from birth. When my mother was told that she would not be able to carry a child for my father, she became desperate to find a way to do that. One of the options they explored together was surrogacy. And knowing of their struggle, Kaiyo was swift in offering to carry the child for them."

He paused as thunder rumbled through and the rain outside poured down harder.

"They engaged Unohana taichou to help them with the procedure, and Kaiyo became pregnant with my parent's child. Unfortunately, Kaiyo miscarried, and Unohana taichou determined that the problem was that my mother's genetic code contained a defect that would not allow her to contribute to offspring. However, there was a way to use a surrogate to provide genetic material that could be bonded with the original egg before fertilization. The resulting child would then have markers of all three parents, and so would not be pureblood noble unless the donor was also noble."

"But something tells me that when looking for a noble surrogate, things did not go well," Tetsuya posited.

"You are correct," Orochi answered, his black eyes unreadable and his body tensed where it rested against Tetsuya's, "When they approached the elders to gain permission for the procedure, they were refused, and told that such a thing was unnatural. They could not ask such a thing of a noblewoman of any true stature. They tried seeking someone of a lower house who would be willing, but all had heard of the elders' ruling and refused them. At the ends of their wits, my parents turned to the one person who had supported them all along, and Kaiyo agreed to help them. They were aware that they were opening themselves up to criticism, so they worked behind the scenes to make it look as though my mother had finally, and unexpectedly become pregnant. One of the people they trusted was Aizen Sousuke. He wrought an illusion that made my mother seem to be pregnant. They navigated Kaiyo's pregnancy carefully and took her away from the Seireitei well before she showed signs. They carefully controlled who came into contact with her, and when she went into labor, Aizen made everyone see, not her, but my mother, giving birth. The tests done at birth were altered so that Kaiyo's contribution was hidden. It seemed as though they had managed to achieve everything they wanted. I was born healthy and taken back to our home."

"What happened?" asked Tetsuya, "Did someone find out what they had done?"

Orochi sighed and closed his eyes.

"Actually, no. What happened was much more insidious. I told you that Aizen Sousuke assisted my parents. However, somehow, as he did, he instilled doubt in my mother, causing her to question what was really going on. This caused her to look differently at the situation, and it made her see Kaiyo in a less flattering fashion. She began to think she saw little signs between Kaiyo and my father. She was quiet about her suspicions at first, but as her worries grew and tormented her, she began to act erratically. She would accuse Kaiyo of looking at my father inappropriately or of being imperfect in her work. She had Kaiyo confined to her room, and on one occasion, had her beaten. Kaiyo bore things quietly. She said nothing because she mourned the loss of my mother's long friendship and hadn't the heart to ask for help. My father discovered what was happening and he tried to reason with my mother, but it only made her more suspicious. Kaiyo continued to bear my mother's anger quietly, but the situation wore on all of them. And it was complicated by the secrets surrounding my birth."

Orochi paused as Kisho stirred and whimpered in his sleep. He watched as Tetsuya laid a hand on the baby and whispered a calm reassurance, then looked back at his cousin questioningly.

"As my mother grew more and more tormented, she began to accuse Kaiyo of having an affair with my father, and said that she believed they had conspired with Aizen Sousuke to conceal their affair and that the baby was really Kaiyo and my father's love child. Things became dangerous as her sanity began to slip and she began to despise me, for that she thought I was not hers, but Kaiyo's. She came to me while I was sleeping and tried to smother me in my sleep, then when Kaiyo and my father stopped her, she accused Kaiyo of trying to kill me. She didn't even remember that she had, moments before, tried to kill me herself."

"Kami!" Tetsuya exclaimed softly, "What did they do? How did they stop her?"

"My father knew not to allow the situation to continue, but he also remained aware that my mother could let out the secret of my situation and cause our household to be scandalized and removed as a ranking subfamily. In that case, my father would lose his place as our subfamily's head, and we would have been absorbed into another subfamily. I would then lose my place as an heir to that leadership as well."

Orochi went quiet again as Kisho woke and complained loudly for feeding. He picked up the child and set the tot in his lap, then slowly infused him with reiatsu. Gradually, Kisho's cries faded and he sat, looking up at Orochi through widened blue eyes and gurgling more happily.

"My father decided that my mother was in desperate need of help, and that he was willing to risk our secret being exposed so that she could be healed. He took her to Unohana taichou, who recommended a place for her in a very competent 'restoration facility,' where she could maintain her privacy, but get the help she needed. She has been there ever since...lucid on some days, disoriented and combative on others. My father would go often to see and encourage her."

"She is still there, then?" Tetsuya asked.

"Yes, although I have not seen her since she left our home. Father thought it best that I not approach her while she was so unsettled, for fear it would set her back. And thus, you see how a perfectly well intended and kind act between friends was turned into a complete disaster. I am now to inherit both leadership of my subfamily and the weight of that age old lie. I, who tormented you for being of mixed blood, carry that same thing myself, and now hang on my mother's ability to undo me...not to mention, your own choice of whether or not to expose me, should we ever escape this place and return."

"I won't say anything," Tetsuya said quietly.

Orochi let out a huff of sarcastic breath.

"Feeling generosity towards me, Tetsuya? Your former rapist and tormentor?" he asked softly, "What have I done to earn such loyalty?"

"Nothing," Tetsuya said simply, "I am not doing this for you. Whether I knew Kaiyo or not, she was my mother's sister, and I remember and honor my mother. Also, this makes us first cousins. And it brings me under the jurisdiction of your subfamily."

"But you were adopted by Sadao and Mai."

"That happened before my heritage was known," Tetsuya said, shaking his head.

"But do you not understand?" Orochi said solemnly, "To assert that you are my ward, I would be forced to expose my parents' lie. I could not claim you as mine without throwing myself down. Do not worry, Tetsuya. I will never lay any claim to you. I have too much to lose."

"You may have faith that I will say nothing," Tetsuya said firmly, "The decision should be yours whether or not to speak of what happened before. It was certainly nothing that you had any ability to control."

"But it is still a lie," said Orochi, "And if I accept the mantle of leadership under that false pretense, then I will inherit the responsibility for that lie...although, from the looks of things, I perhaps need not worry about all of that. The doorway to this world is still tightly shut. It may never open."

"Don't say that," Tetsuya said, setting Kisho down and covering him warmly, then seeking the warmth of Orochi's body for himself, "Byakuya-sama will come. He will break through into this world and take us home."

Orochi sighed and gazed curiously into Tetsuya's softly glowing blue eyes, wondering at the faith he saw written there.

"You would believe anything of him, ne?" he commented, "I imagine that you look back and remember how he saved you before, and you think him capable of defying the odds and finding us here. You never were much for accepting reality, were you? But then...reality bears a bite that a gentler soul like yours could not withstand if seen clearly. Perhaps it is wise for you to have faith as you do, but it would never be wise for me to feel that way."

He blinked in surprise as Tetsuya smiled at him.

"Then...let me be the first person you place your faith in, Orochi-san," he said quietly, "I will never speak of what I know, without your leave."

"Why?" Orochi asked, wonderingly.

"Because...you could have let Kisho-sama and me die, and no one would have been able to prove a thing. But you protected us. You saved both of us. And now, I am duty-bound to protect you."

"Do not waste your loyalty on me, Tetsuya. I am bound to disappoint you."

"Disappoint me?" Tetsuya queried, settling against his shoulder again, "Perhaps. But you will not hurt me anymore. And you will protect Kisho-sama and me. I cannot be disappointed with that."

Orochi turned his head and reached out with his fingertips to touch his cousin's face. Tetsuya looked back at him through trusting eyes and said nothing, nor made any move to encourage him, or to resist.

"Tetsuya," Orochi said more softly, "What do you feel when I touch you like this? Are you repelled? Disgusted? Does it remind you horribly of how cruel I was to you?"

The younger man was silent for several long moments, considering.

"I...am not sure," he answered finally, still looking into his cousin's black eyes.

He froze as Orochi's body turned slightly, and with agonizing slowness, he brought their lips together.

"What do you feel now?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji woke to find that Byakuya had left his side and walked out to a small cliff, overlooking an expanse of moonlit forest. He left the cozy niche they had made for themselves and moved to join the noble where he stood, gazing quietly up at the moon.

"Hey, you should be sleeping," he said, slipping his arms around Byakuya and smiling as the noble turned to offer him a warm kiss of greeting.

"It is difficult to sleep, being separated from our child and my cousin."

"Yeah, that's understandable. But, if you want to be of help to them, you have to take care of yourself. You won't do them any good, letting yourself get run down."

"You are just as 'awake' as I am, Abarai," Byakuya pointed out dulcetly, nuzzling close to the redhead.

"Yeah, well, that's only because the person who was keeping me warm got up and left me, freezing my ass off. Come on back now, okay? If not for you, then for my chilly ass..."

"Abarai," Byakuya huffed, trying to hold back a smile.

Renji's hand slid into his, and Byakuya turned with him to go back to their makeshift bed. They laid down and cuddled close together to ward off the late night chill. Nearby, they heard Arashi's delicate step as the stallion shifted in a state of near sleep. They had nearly fallen asleep again, when Arashi made a sound of surprise and a small tendril of steam emerged from his nostrils.

"What the matter, Fleabag?" Renji chuckled, "You miss Tetsuya?"

_I sensed him for a moment._

"What?" Renji asked, sitting up, "Where is he? Can you take us to him?"

_I don't know. I did get a glimpse of the pocket dimension they are in._

"Then, you sensed Kisho as well?" Byakuya asked, grabbing on to Renji's arm and sitting up next to him.

_Yes, Kisho is with him._

_Orochi-san is with him as well._

Byakuya's eyes darkened.

"Are Tetsuya and Kisho all right? He's not hurting them?"

_I cannot tell. All I know is that they are alive and in a place that is dark and rainy. But I also sense a malevolent presence in their area. It does not seem to have found them, but it is a powerful presence and while not inherently evil, is certainly not safe either. We need to find them quickly, but it will take some more time for me to center on exactly where he is. While i do that, you must restore yourselves, so that we will be ready to fight.._

Byakuya turned and met Renji's eyes.

"I think Arashi is right. This being he sensed is very dangerous. We cannot assume that Tetsuya is aware of its presence, or that he is in a state necessary for fighting. He just had a child, and will not have regained his full powers."

"And," Renji added darkly, "It's possible that freak cousin of yours is holding him captive or some shit like that, ne?"

Byakuya nodded.

"Orochi tormented Tetsuya in the prison. And while not physically attacking him anymore, once the prisoners were freed, he looked down on Tetsuya and degraded him verbally at every opportunity."

"Someone ought to knock some sense into that guy," Renji said in a disgusted tone, "I'm all for killing the bastard on sight, okay?"

Byakuya lowered his eyes and shook his head.

"Orochi is heir to the leadership of one of our subfamilies. As much as I find his attitude towards Tetsuya to be distasteful, there are lines that none of us can step over, because, as you know, the mixed blood members of our family have long been unfairly persecuted, and that behavior was considered 'acceptable' before. Only more recently have noble's with mixed blood been granted any protections under our laws."

"That's pretty damned screwed up, Byakuya," Renji said, shaking his head, "I'm glad that the clan has been lucky enough to gain a leader with some amount of common sense. Otherwise, I might just write off the lot as a bunch of useless snobs."

"Much the way they would write you and Tetsuya off as uncultured peasants," Byakuya countered, "Joining them in their wrong behavior won't make your view any more 'right,' Abarai."

"I know," the redhead said, sinking deeply into a hot, wet kiss, "I just hate the way they treat Tetsuya, especially after what he did for us."

"I wondered, at the time, if we were doing the right thing in lying with him to impregnate him together. I worried that it would compound his loneliness after losing his Naoki. And he did seem quite out of sorts in the aftermath of our night together, then again after Kisho's birth. I don't know, Renji. When we find them and are at home again, we need to ensure that Tetsuya's well being is seen to. I would not have him suffer for having given so much to help us to have Kisho."

Renji sighed and closed his eyes, sliding a hand under Byakuya's clothing and caressing his awakening genitalia as they continued to talk.

"So what are you tellin' me here?" the redhead asked, "You want Tetsuya to join up with us? You want to turn it into a real relationship?"

"No," Byakuya said, shaking his head firmly, "I do not have feelings like that for him, but although my feelings for Tetsuya are not carnal, nor romantic, they are equally profound. The level of feeling I have for my cousin transcends a physical relationship. He is beyond the closest of friends, Renji."

"Huh, I wonder if I should be jealous, the way you talk about him. It sounds a little like backhanded love, if you ask me."

"It is a kind of love," admitted the noble, "but to continue to have a physical relationship with him beyond that joining to make our son would be wrong. As much as Tetsuya is lonely and desires love, I have known him for long enough to see that while he loves us, he is not 'in love' with us. He is leaving his heart waiting for...someone else...someone who can touch his soul the way Naoki did. He will not find that with us. So, we can only do our best to help him in the search for that. It is the only 'right thing' to do."

"Yeah, well we have to find him first. And while ol' Fleabag over there works on getting a fix on him, we need to recharge. So, what say I give you a little infusion to pep you up?"

"I think that perhaps I need more than a simple infusion of reiatsu, Renji," the noble said, parting his thighs and opening the way to a deeper exploration.

"Hmmm," Renji said, smiling, "I like the sound of that."

They quieted then, falling back into a soft storm of kisses as Renji's warm fingers slowly prepared the noble for their lovemaking. They joined their bodies in a series of slow, deepening thrusts, looking into each others' eyes and opening their hearts, along with their bodies. And for that short time while they connected and slowly brought each other to the edges of bliss, they let their cares fall away and focused fully on each other. But Byakuya felt a twinge of remaining guilt as orgasm took the two of them, and he was reminded suddenly of how _Tetsuya_ had looked while in orgasm.

_He didn't look like a man in love, seeking love from another. His face was almost hidden, and his hands were clenched. There were tears in his eyes, and it looked as though..._

_It looked like he was in anguish._

_Tetsuya._

_What happened to you that made love so painful?_

_And how can we bring that pain to an end?_

_Tetsuya..._


	8. Forgiveness

**Chapter 8: Forgiveness**

**(I was in the mood for a good cry today and was listening to Forgiven by Within Temptation. Warning, if you listen to that while reading this, you may shed tears! Ah, now trying to dry them and move on. Thanks so much to Princess Moon Shadow and Aurelia Cotta for reviewing. Oh yes, and Byakuya and Renji will be back next chapter, I promise. This one was just dominated by Orochi's continued reveal and some hurt/comfort. I feel better now! Enjoy the chapter!)**

_What do you feel now?_

Tetsuya froze, staring up into Orochi's softly smoldering eyes as his cousin kissed him again. He reeled as dark memory collided with this new incarnation of a man who had never been anything but cruel to him. But there was no cruelty in the coal black eyes that regarded Tetsuya quietly as he struggled to make sense of what was happening. Kisho whimpered, then started to cry and Tetsuya fled Orochi's arms, picking up the infant and retreating to the corner of the enclosure, holding Kisho close and avoiding Orochi's eyes.

"It is understandable that you would not want to forgive me, I suppose," Orochi said, startling him into meeting the man's eyes again, "I have been awful to you."

He moved closer, and Tetsuya pressed back into the corner, swallowing hard and watching with widened eyes.

"Perhaps it would help if you at least understood why I was like that," the other man offered calmly, "And even if it does not change your mind, Tetsuya, I think it is important for me to explain."

Tetsuya made no sound, but only gazed back at him, waiting.

"I told you that my mother was slowly driven mad from the seeds of doubt that Aizen Sousuke planted in her mind. And amongst the accusations that she made was one that resonated with me. She accused Kaiyo repeatedly of becoming pregnant by my father, of having his love child. It seemed to torment her so. I found her crying in the gardens in the rain once, and she whispered to me how it hurt that someone she trusted as her closest of friends from the time they were children could hurt her so...could make a child with her husband behind her back, plotting to make her ill, perhaps to kill her so that they could be together. In all of those years, I never saw Kaiyo with a baby or a child. I followed her sometimes when she would leave the manor on errands, thinking that I would find out where the child was and I would kill him so that my mother's mind would be eased. But Kaiyo never went to meet anyone. I wondered if the baby had died, but search as I might, I could find no clues at all to his existence. I knew only that it was a boy, but not even when exactly he was born, or where. He was a tormenting phantom I chased all of the way into early adulthood. It wasn't until I learned of Byakuya's plans to invade Itamigiri that I discovered that Kaiyo had had a sister...Kiko of the Rukongai. I found her by accident while working advance guard, infiltrating the prison. I was well known for despising mixed bloods. I repeated dutifully...easily even, the horrid things my mother fed me in her madness. Because of that, it was easy for the ones within the prison to accept me. And once I found out who you were, and they saw what I did to you, Tetsuya, they were convinced that I was trustworthy."

He sighed softly, looking out into the blackness and shivering inwardly.

"I remember when I first laid eyes upon you. I saw you sleeping in your cell beside that boy, Naoki, and I convinced myself that you weren't the son of Kuchiki Takao and Kuchiki Kiko, but that you were the son of my father and Kaiyo! I thought that Takao and Kiko were only protecting their nephew from the wrath of my family for driving my mother insane. I looked down at your very beautiful face, Tetsuya, and I could only see Kaiyo and my father. And it made me so angry that I could barely keep from killing you, then and there as you slept. But, I wanted more. I wanted to make you hurt for the pain you caused her. I wanted to give back every torment. And I started the next day...your coming of age."

"I remember when you looked at me that first time," Tetsuya admitted suddenly.

Orochi started at the sound of the younger man's voice.

"You did? You were awake, then?" he asked softly.

"Yes. I saw your face...and..."

He went silent again, quivering and holding Kisho against him, as though to ward off the memory. Orochi waited silently, watching him with guarded eyes. Finally, Tetsuya let out a sigh and closed his eyes.

"I could see that you hated me. I could tell that you were going to hurt me. I had never seen anyone look at me that way. The...ones that guarded us almost never really looked at us. They regarded us as less than human. But the way you looked at me was more personal...more venomous. And that next day, when you touched me..."

He broke off, closing his eyes and shivering harder at the memory that assaulted him. He startled as Orochi's arms slipped around him and barely kept from crying out. He panted softly with the effort of not tearing away, not running from the other man.

_That was a long time ago, _he tried to remind himself, _and Orochi-san is in the midst of explaining. It was as I once thought. It was a mistake, a horrible mistake._

"I won't tell you to dry your eyes or not to think about it," Orochi said in a low, weary voice, "What I did was horrid, and at the time, I meant to do it. I put every ounce of hatred into tormenting you, then laid next to you and counted the marks I left on your body as just payment for how you had ruined my life. Day after day, I repeated that same sin, poisoning the two of us with that hatred and wondering if it would ever bleed away the anger that still burned inside whenever I looked at you. And not being satisfied with just hurting you, I made Naoki pay as well. At the time...it felt as though there wasn't enough pain I could inflict on you to soothe that rage I felt. I hated you with every fiber of my being, Tetsuya."

"No."

Orochi froze, staring as Tetsuya's damp eyes opened again and looked into his.

"What?"

"You did not hate me with every fiber of your being," the younger man said softly, "You fought yourself."

Orochi let out a sarcastic breath.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, starting to sound angry again, "You were there, Tetsuya. You said that you sensed my anger, my intent to hurt you. And I delivered on that repeatedly, did I not?"

"Yes."

"But you say that I did not completely hate you? How is that?"

"You protected me," Tetsuya reminded him, gazing into his cousin's surprised eyes, "And you protected Naoki."

"I...?" Orochi whispered, frowning.

"You knew that Byakuya-sama was coming and you knew that the guards would kill us. You took us to your room to keep that from happening. But in the chaos of that fight, you lost control of the situation. You tried to return to us, but it was too late. If Sadao had not arrived when he did, then we might have been killed. But...you came back for us. Orochi-san, your eyes looked very different then. You were afraid."

Tetsuya turned his head slightly, bringing their faces close together again.

"Orochi-san, if you hated me as much as you say you did, then why did you try to protect me?"

Orochi flinched.

"Don't think that I had gone soft," he said reproachfully, "I was only going to continue the torment. I had it planned out. I would hide you somewhere and continue to hurt you. I assure you, Tetsuya, I would have done just that."

"But you didn't want me to die," Tetsuya insisted, "I know you are thinking that it was only because you wanted to continue the torment, but your eyes told me a different truth that day...and your lips told me that same thing before when you kissed me."

Tetsuya leaned towards his cousin, meeting his lips again, cautiously. Orochi's eyes closed and his reiatsu flickered fitfully. The two remained perfectly still, with their lips touching and their eyes locked. Finally, Orochi took a breath and pulled away. He looked down at his hands and was surprised to find that they were shaking softly.

"You _wanted_ to hate me with all of your heart," Tetsuya concluded in a soft, shaken tone, "But not all of your heart would do that."

"Stop," Orochi said, shaking his head and pulling free of him, "Don't rewrite the past, Tetsuya. Stick with what you know. I hated you. I raped and beat you because I wanted to hurt you. I wanted to watch you suffer."

"But when you hurt me, you hurt yourself," Tetsuya whispered.

"Stop, will you!" Orochi snapped, catching his breath as his hand rose and Tetsuuya instantly cringed and turned himself and Kisho away.

Orochi stared at them in silence for a time, then sighed.

"You are going to need to eat. We both are. I will go and gather some food."

"But Orochi-san!" Tetsuya objected, "That...!"

"Do not worry," his cousin said with velvet sarcasm, "I am more of a monster than anything out there. I will come back. Just stay here with Kisho-sama and do not leave the enclosure. Do you understand?"

Tetsuya shivered again and nodded briefly. He watched as Orochi passed through the barrier and stepped outside, and kept watching as he melted into the darkness. Then, he looked down at Kisho and kissed him on the forehead. He looked up again in the direction that Orochi had gone, his mind reeling with everything he had learned.

"He was in love with me?" he whispered, needing to say the words to make them real, "Orochi-san wanted to hate me, and he tormented me to prove that he did. But in the end, he protected me, because he had somehow fallen in love with me."

He shivered harder as the coldness of their past encounters replayed itself in his mind. But this time, he saw glimmers everywhere...the smallest of signs...a hesitation, a shaking in his hands where they touched him, a flicker of guilt in the usually scornful, coal black eyes, a stolen glance or a surprisingly warm kiss laid upon his face as he slept after one of their encounters.

_Orochi-san._

_There is so much pain in you, so much guilt. No wonder you needed to say this to me._

He stared out into the darkness, shaking again as he felt the malevolent reiatsu that they had sensed before. His only consolation was that it seemed to resonate distantly, and not in the direction where he sensed Orochi's reiatsu.

Tetsuya busied himself then with comforting Kisho, infusing him gently with soothing reiatsu when he cried from hunger. He sang quietly to the boy, pausing only when he felt the presence of that dangerous being turn in their direction. It meandered towards them, coming close enough to make his heart pound as he held Kisho tightly against him and looked into the blackness for whatever the creature could be. He was nearly frantic when he sensed Orochi returning and feared the two would cross paths. Orochi's stinging words taunted him.

_"Do not worry, I am more of a monster than anything out there."_

"Orochi-san," Tetsuya whispered, closing his eyes tightly, "Orochi-san, come back!"

He heard footsteps on the sand outside the enclosure and laid down, resting Kisho off to the side and turning towards the wall. A moment later, he felt Orochi pass through the barrier. He held still, pretending to sleep as his cousin slowly removed what he had found from within the folds of his tattered clothes and set it carefully out of the sand. He moved to Tetsuya's side and laid a hand on one slender shoulder to wake him. Tetsuya sat up and rubbed his eyes, quietly accepting the berries Orochi placed in his hands.

"Arigatou, Orochi-san."

He ate them in silence, watching as Orochi laid down a short distance away and closed his eyes.

_What are you thinking, Orochi-san?_

_What is going through your mind now, as you try to sleep?_

He finished the berries and looked over at Kisho to confirm that the lad was sleeping comfortably, then he looked at Orochi and wondered what to do.

_It is cold._

He gazed solemnly at Orochi as he slept, his mind still turning over what his cousin had told him. And slowly, so slowly that he hardly realized what he was doing, Tetsuya moved closer to his sleeping cousin. His heart throbbed fitfully inside his chest and sweat broke out on his skin, but finally, the distance fell away, and he was on his hands and knees beside Orochi. He let himself down gradually and settled into the other man's arms, turned away so that he didn't see Orochi's eyes open in surprise.

But he did feel the quiver in his cousin's body as they touched. Tetsuya relaxed into Orochi's embrace, sighing at the warmth he found there.

"Were you worried that I would not come back to you?" Orochi asked quietly, "Were you worried that the doorway would open and I would save myself and leave you behind?"

He sighed resignedly.

"Hold on to those fears, Tetsuya. Do not give in to the urge to forgive me...to begin to trust me. You know all too well what darkness I have brought on my soul. Remember always what I did to you. That fear, that mistrust is all you have to protect you."

Tetsuya turned suddenly in his arms and took his cousin's face in his hands.

"Why do you do this?" he asked searchingly, "Orochi-san, why do you tell me such things and then tell me not to forgive you? Do you think that you do not deserve to be understood? To be absolved? To be freed from your guilt?"

"Why would you want to forgive me?" Orochi asked stridently, "I hurt you in ways that can never be undone, Tetsuya. Your body shivers when I just touch you, because even though you try to forget, it remembers how I made it hurt. I did all of that to you, and I was not sorry!"

"But you are now."

Orochi went silent, swallowing hard and letting out a shaky breath.

"It is all right," Tetsuya assured him, "I do not expect you will say it again, but you can be assured that you do not have to. I know that you are sorry."

"But...what I did is unforgivable. Every hurt, every mark, every trace of what I did, should have been done to myself, Tetsuya! _I _was the one that tormented my mother's mind, the one she was talking about as she cried...as her hands both loved and tried to kill me! That was me, not you! And I took that horrid sin and compounded it by making you pay the cost, when it was _mine _ to bear! Do you still not understand?"

"I understand," Tetsuya assured him, "I am not saying that I can forget what happened, but after hearing what you said, I remembered more...more signs that confused me before, and now...!"

"Now, what?" Orochi hissed, sitting up and pushing him away, "You want to take pity on me? You want to forgive me? What do you want, Tetsuya? What do you want from me?"

He went silent as his shouts made Kisho come awake, shrieking. Tetsuya moved quickly to gather the baby into his arms. He sang softly, giving the tot, gentle caresses and easing him slowly back to sleep. After a time, he laid Kisho back in the small hollow he had made to cradle him, and returned to Orochi's side.

His cousin laid on his side, turned away from him.

"Orochi-san," Tetsuya said, laying a hand on his arm.

Orochi neither moved, nor answered.

"Orochi-san, you asked me what I want from you. And the truth is that I do not know. Yes, my body remembers every hurt, every torment you laid upon it. But my heart also remembers the confusion that I sensed in you. I wanted desperately to understand before...back then. I would lie in my cell after you left and I wondered for hours on end what I could have done to make you hate me so much. And in those times, I was confused by what bits of your warmth touched me now and again. I understand those things now. And whether or not you wish to hear it, I am telling you that I know that you were in love with me."

He paused, but his cousin gave no answer. Strengthened by Orochi's weakening on the point, he took another step forward.

"You were in love with me and you hated yourself for feeling that way for someone who you thought had hurt your mother so. I understand. I am not saying that it makes everything all right again. Things were broken in us both, and I do not know if they can ever be mended. But...this...this revelation...and your penitence over what happened, I am grateful. And...it hurts less being alone and stranded here, because you are with me."

He went silent for a moment as Orochi sat up and looked into his eyes again, then slowly, achingly slowly slid his arms around his cousin. Tetsuya relaxed against him, closing his eyes and loosing his heart.

"_This_ is what I wanted, Orochi-san," he said softly, "This is what you gave me small tastes of, even back then...such small traces that I craved it terribly. All I want is to feel Orochi-san's strength and his desire to protect me. I don't care about the past. It doesn't matter anymore. This...this place we are in may be the last place we ever see. But if I have this, then I am not alone, Orochi-san. So...do not leave me again. I forgive you everything if you will just never leave me alone again!"

"Gods, Tetsuya," Orochi whispered, pain in every word, "My heart must be selfish indeed. Because I can't let go anymore!"


	9. Absolution

**Chapter 9: Absolution**

**(Thanks so very much to Picklez80, Just4Giggles, Princess Moon Shadow, BunnyHopster26 (Soon now! I promise.), Aurelia Cotta (I love their music and listen a lot while writing. Very inspirational!), and Renji-Bya-Lover (Thank you for giving thi story a chance. It's a brave thing to try new things. I am glad that you like what you found here. I am really enjoying writing this too!) Hugs to all! You are the greatest! Enjoy the new chapter!)**

_"Byakuya-sama!"_

_The noble heir started at the sound. He sat up in his bed and listened carefully, wondering if the sound had been real. A moment later, he heard it again and felt a twinge of emotional pain inside._

_"Tetsuya?" he whispered._

_He slipped out of bed and through the garden doors, following the walkway down to where Tetsuya laid in bed in his room. From the doorway, he looked to be sleeping, but Byakuya stood for a time in the open doorway, watching him closely. A moment later, he heard a soft footstep and nodded in greeting to the attendant who appeared._

_"Koji?"_

_"He sleeps, Byakuya-sama, but his dreams are troubled. He calls out to the boy, Naoki and he calls out for..."_

_"For me?"_

_"Yes, Byakuya-sama. But also sometimes he says Orochi-san's name. And when he does, he does not call it with longing as he does the rest, but fearfully, as though both wanting and dreading. I do not know how else to describe it, sir."_

_"Has Michio been by to see him tonight?"_

_"Yes, and he says that Tetsuya-san suffers from post-traumatic stress."_

_"Did he say anything about the connection with Orochi?"_

_"He says that Tetsuya-san is negatively attached to him. What passed between them must have been very dark indeed to be resonating within him with such force."_

_"Well," said the heir, "Orochi will have no chance to cause him any more pain. He will not set foot near Tetsuya again. I was a fool to trust him. I wouldn't have trusted him, but he was the only one who was able to infiltrate the prison successfully. We bought freedom for many of the mixed bloods, but at the cost of great pain to the son of my father's closest cousin. I am glad that Tetsuya survived, but I grieve placing him in Orochi's path."_

_"It was not your fault, Byakuya-sama," Koji assured him, "Tetsuya-san is so relieved at having been freed. He appreciates deeply all you have done for him. You freed him and are seeing to his healing...and Sadao-san is going to take him into his sub-family when he is well enough."_

_"Yes," Byakuya said, studying Tetsuya's troubled face in the darkness, "Whatever it takes, we will make him well again. We will make him strong and give him the home he so needs."_

_"He deserves it," whispered Koji, tears coming to his eyes, "Byakuya-sama, Tetsuya-san has suffered unbearably! And for someone so gentle, he has borne such a terrible weight!"_

_Byakuya sighed._

_"Well, whatever the weight, we will lighten it," he said softly, "Tetsuya is going to be all right."_

_"Hai. I will not rest until he is strong again, Byakuya-sama!"_

_"We will not rest until then."_

_"We will not rest until then."_

_"Byakuya-sama!" Tetsuya cried, coming awake and sitting up, his fingers gripping the bedding tightly, "Byakuya-sama, help us!"_

_Byakuya approached Tetsuya's bed and sat down on the edge, gathering the younger teen into his arms as Tetsuya's fingers dug into his skin and his face burrowed into his cousin's shoulder._

_"Byakuya-sama, it wasn't a dream," he whispered, "You came for us. You set us free."_

_"I set you free," Byakuya agreed, sending a gentle throb of kido into his cousin's bady so that he collapsed against the heir and drifted off again, "Sleep now, Cousin. Koji and I will watch over you and keep you safe."_

_He held Tetsuya against him, stroking the younger teen's hair and speaking to him in a whisper. When he was sure that Tetsuya slept comfortably, he laid his cousin down again and left him in Koji's hands, yawning sleepily as he headed for his own room._

_He had only gone a few steps when Tetsuya's terrified cry shattered the stillness._

Byakuya sat up next to Renji, panting softly and feeling his heart pound in his chest. Tetsuya's voice still rang loudly in his ears. A short distance away, Arashi came awake as well, neighing loudly and raising himself onto his hind legs and coming down on stiff, stamping feet.

_Master!_

Byakuya and Renji rolled to their feet and flash stepped to the stallion.

"Arashi!" Byakuya said urgently, "You felt that as well?"

_Yes, I felt a connection with his mind._

"I did as well," Byakuya affirmed, "We are getting close to them."

Renji nodded.

"Sounds like it's time to break camp and start looking again."

The two shinigamis hastily gathered their things and mounted the stallion, who carried them through the senkaimon that Byakuya opened, and back into the precipice world. Arashi snorted and stamped nervously, looking this way and that in the darkness, then taking a few steps. He paused, looking over a series of exits and extending his senses.

_He is in one of these places_, the stallion said decidedly, _And wherever he is...he is afraid. The being I sensed before is close to him. Closer than before. We must find them before it discovers them!_

"Then lead on," Renji said, placing a hand on his sword, "Let's get him out of there!"

Arashi thought for a moment and took a step forward, then was nearly taken off his feet as wicked laughter filled the corridor and an explosion rocked the ground beneath them.

"Damn it!" Renji swore, bringing his weapon to bear on the approaching enemies, "Not now!"

Byakuya's reiatsu rose and he positioned himself beside Renji and the rearing stallion.

"Stand fast," the noble said firmly, "We cannot let ourselves be forced from this passageway!"

XXXXXXXXXX

_Can this be? Orochi wondered, looking down at Kuchiki Tetsuya's lovely sleeping face, Can this be the one who tore my mother apart inside?_

_It doesn't seem possible._

_Such a small, delicate, fragile looking creature. How could this be the one? He looks as though he might break if I laid hands on him. He clings to that other boy like he has no strength of his own. How could this destroy her?_

_He moved closer, peering into the darkness, staring endlessly at Tetsuya as he slept._

_His hair looks like spun silk and I can see how soft his skin is, how it bruises easily. I wonder what that glow around him is. And why? Why do I feel so strange inside when I look at him?_

_However innocent he looks, however beautiful, what he has done demands payment. I cannot forget how he ruined my life! He is the one. He is the reason that my mother lost her mind. He is the reason that she came to me and tried to kill me those times. He got inside her head and tormented her. _

_He..._

_"Orochi-sama, do you need something, sir?" asked a patrolling guard._

_"N-no."_

_The youth was awake and sitting up. He gazed out through the bars, not seeing the black eyes that glowered at him from within the shadows._

_"Gods, such innocent eyes! They are like Kaiyo's. He is the one then. I was right about him," Orochi breathed too softly for the prisoner to hear._

_He turned to leave, touching the guard on the arm as he left._

_"Have him brought to my room ten minutes before midnight."_

_"Hai, Orochi-sama."_

_He returned to his quarters and began to prepare. He showered slowly, breathing in the swirling steam as it curled around him. And in his mind, he planned out each thing he would say, everything that he would do, once Tetsuya was brought to him._

_"I have waited so long for this," he whispered into the steamy air, closing his eyes and feeling a shiver pass through him, "I will do this, and then I can go to you and tell you that he has paid for what he did to you!"_

_He washed himself clean, then stepped out of the shower and dried himself on the warm, thick towels that waited. He slipped a black satin yukata around his body and walked out into his room, where Tetsuya stood alongside a prison guard, his eyes dutifully lowered._

_"You are dismissed," he told the guard, "I will call for you to collect him when I am done with him."_

_The guard bowed and exited the room, leaving the two alone. Orochi glared mockingly at Tetsuya, enjoying how he could make the other youth shiver without doing anything._

_"You are Tetsuya, son of Takao and Kiko?" he asked, making Tetsuya shiver again as he struggled to find his voice._

_"Y-ye.."_

_"Look at me when I speak to you, you little wretch!" Orochi snapped, grabbing him by the chin and forcing their eyes to meet._

_Tetsuya's eyes rounded, and Orochi felt a heavy jolt pass through him. His heart pounded in his chest and his fingers slid down and curled around the youth's slender throat._

_Maybe I should just kill him now..._

_He stared down into Tetsuya's frightened eyes and started to tighten his grip on the youth's throat. Tears rose instantly in the wide, pretty blue eyes and his hands rose and grabbed at Orochi's, trying to pull them away. With an effort, he loosed his hand and shoved the boy towards the bathroom. Tetsuya's shaky legs collapsed and he fell to the floor. He pushed himself up and started to regain his feet as Orochi motioned in the direction of the bathroom._

_"Go in there and wash that filth off of you," he ordered his cousin, "Don't touch any of my clothes. Wash, Dry yourself and come back here naked."_

_"H-hai, Orochi-sama," Tetsuya answered in a trembling voice, fleeing into the bathroom._

_Orochi watched as the door closed between them, then walked to the bed, sat down and waited. He heard the water running and drifted off into his thoughts for a time, emerging as he realized it had been some time since Tetsuya had gone into the bathroom. He rose and walked to the door, then tried the handle._

_The door was locked._

_It can't keep me out, though..._

_He sent a flash of kido into the handle and opened the door slowly. Steam obscured the view as he slipped inside. He froze as he heard a soft sob and a few broken words._

_"I'm sorry, Naoki. I cannot be strong like you said. He frightens me so that I cannot breathe. He hates me. He makes me want to disappear. Why can't I just disappear?"_

_Orochi moved forward, then paused outside the shower door, barely able to see the youth cowering on the floor in the corner inside the shower. He listened to the mingled sounds of falling water and muted sobs for a time, then opened the shower door, startling the youth and making him press harder into the corner. He turned off the shower and stepped inside, approaching Tetsuya and pausing just short of him._

_"What are you doing?" he asked in a low, angry voice, "I told you to shower and come to me naked. Do you not understand how to follow orders? If not, I can certainly teach you, Tetsuya. Get up!"_

_Tetsuya cringed under his hand as Orochi grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to his feet. His eyes blazing, he struck the younger boy across the pale cheek, sending him tumbling to the floor of the shower and leaving him huddled miserably at his older cousin's feet._

_"Get up!" Orochi growled, dragging him to his feet again and shoving him out of the shower._

_Tetsuya reached for a towel, but Orochi grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him, still dripping wet, out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, where he threw Tetsuya down on the bed and bound his wrists to the rail at the foot of the bed. The boy was shaking all over now, but he managed to remain silent and held himself still as Orochi leaned over him._

_"You need to learn your place, Tetsuya," he said into his cousin's ear, making him quiver, "And that is to say that you have no place among us. You are a living abomination! I feel the familial power growing beneath that seal. It is stolen power, Tetsuya. It doesn't belong to you. Your whore mother stole it when she seduced your father away from the noblewoman who should have borne his child!"_

_"B-but, my parents loved each other!" Tetsuya objected, "Why shouldn't they...?"_

_He cried out in pain as Orochi's hand struck the same cheek he had earlier, making it turn a deeper red._

_"Did you hear me?" Orochi yelled, grabbing his cousin by the shoulders, "He didn't belong to her! She stole what belonged to someone else! And you were the result. You drove her insane..."_

_"What? What are you talking about? There was never any...!"_

_"Shut up, you trash!" Orochi hissed, forcing him down on his belly, "You are about to begin paying her debt. Remember that when it stings, Tetsuya! Tramps and filth from the gutter don't belong in a noble home! When they mix, we get abominations like you!"_

_Orochi felt himself sink into the depths of the fury that had been pent up for so many years. Unfettered, he loosed it in bruising touches, hard, biting kisses and finally a barrage of heavy, punishing thrusts into his cousin's restrained body. He lost all contact with reality, burying himself in the release of emotion and barely hearing Tetsuya's cries, and then screams._

_Everything went suddenly black and quiet, and Orochi relaxed into the silence, feeling empty and horribly, awfully cold. But somewhere in that darkness, another body laid itself against his, still shaking, but soothed by his closeness._

_Who is this? Orochi wondered, What was it that was happening before?_

_He opened his eyes and found that it was already morning. Tetsuya laid, still bound to the foot of the bed, but pressed warmly against him, his soft waves of unruly hair tickling Orochi's face and throat. There were streaks where tears had dried on his face and splashes of blood on his bruised thighs, and his wrists had bled under the restraints. Tetsuya stirred and whimpered in his sleep, pressing closer to his cousin. Orochi stared in confusion, touching Tetsuya's hair, then stroking his still flushed cheek. The lovely sapphire eyes opened, and for a moment, looked sleepily into Orochi's. Then, fear flooded them and Tetsuya rolled onto his knees, pulling desperately at the restraints. Orochi shattered the kido and watched the youth crash to the floor at the end of the bed._

_"I'm done with you," he said coldly._

_He summoned a guard, then sent Tetsuya into the bathroom to dress. He watched as the youth emerged from the bathroom and joined the guard at the door._

_"Happy birthday, Cousin," he said, glaring, "Now that you are an adult, you will earn your keep. You belong to me now. And in exchange for clothing you, feeding you and keeping a roof over your head, you will serve me...and only me. No one else is to touch you. Do you understand?"_

_"Hai, Orochi-sama," Tetsuya said, looking at the floor._

_"Get him out of my sight," Orochi hissed._

_The guard shoved Tetsuya towards the door, making a sound of annoyance as the youth fell, then scrambled back to his feet. They disappeared and the door closed behind them, leaving Orochi alone in the room._

_Orochi laid still on his bed, the blankets still tangled around his body. He shivered at how much blood mixed with the semen that stained the sheets, but consoled himself with the thought that it was justified._

_"He ruined my life. He hurt my mother. And this...it is not nearly enough..." he whispered, a tear escaping onto his face, "Is that why it still hurts? It seems it hurts even more. What will stop it? How far do I have to go?"_

"It hurts," Orochi whispered against Tetsuya's soft cheek, "It still hurts."

Tetsuya's head lifted off of his shoulder and the lovely blue eyes fastened on his bracingly.

"If it hurts, then let me heal you."

"Tetsuya, it is not..."

"Shh," the younger man said, pressing his fingers against his cousin's lips, "You will wake Kisho-sama."

Orochi went silent as Tetsuya's hands slipped beneath his clothes and his arms embraced his cousin more tightly. Tetsuya's lips brushed his cheek, then tentatively sought his lips.

"You're trembling," Orochi whispered, closing his eyes against the memory that raked his mind, "You're still afraid of me. And you should be, Tetsuya."

"I am not afraid of you," Tetsuya whispered back, "I know what Orochi-sama needs."

Orochi took him firmly by the shoulders and gazed into his eyes.

"What did you call me?" he asked quietly.

Tetsuya smiled.

"You are a subfamily leader," his cousin explained, "That places you above me in the family. I am only showing you the respect you are owed for that."

"I haven't been officially named head of my household yet," he answered, shaking his head, "Just, Orochi would be fine."

"Orochi," Tetsuya whispered, seeking his lips again.

He froze just short of kissing his cousin, his eyes widening as the malevolent reiatsu they had sensed before moved closer to them. Orochi's hand closed painfully around Tetsuya's arm, forcing him deep into the corner of the enclosure as he picked up Kisho and pressed in close, wrapping himself protectively around the baby and Tetsuya.

_Kami_, he mused, not daring to make a sound, _This beast...is this death itself?_

Orochi's hand found his sword as they heard a footstep on the sand outside the enclosure. Then, a devilish hiss froze the blood in their veins.

_I won't let you take them_, Orochi swore silently, _Death take me first before I will yield them to you!_


	10. Redemption

**Chapter 10: Warriors**

"Is it gone?" Tetsuya whispered breathlessly, stirring slightly beneath Orochi.

He remained on the ground and curled around Kisho as Orochi sat up and crawled to the protective barrier, reaching out with his senses and peering into the darkness. Flickers of lightning offered brief illuminations, but the whistle of the wind, pounding of rain and intermittent thunder made hearing more difficult.

"I do not sense it anymore," Orochi answered finally.

Tetsuya rubbed his tired eyes and sat up as Kisho complained noisily for food.

"There now," Tetsuya replied, picking up the baby and resting him against his shoulder.

He started a reiatsu infusion to quell the child's hunger, but blinked in surprise as Kisho was taken from his arms and Orochi began the infusion instead.

"You barely slept," he commented, "and you should eat some more. You need to regain your full reiatsu, Tetsuya. It is going to take both of us to break through that doorway. You must have realized by now that this is definitely a restricted world. No one is going to come for us. We are going to have to find a way out ourselves, or we will have to just stay here permanently. And I do not think that you want that, especially with that monstrous thing wandering about out there. That must be why this pocket dimension was sealed. It is beastly. I don't know that both of us together could manage it. If it could be beaten by any less that a legion of fighters, it wouldn't just be trapped here. They would have just destroyed it."

Tetsuya nodded in understanding.

"And you realize too, do you not, that we must kill that thing before we make any attempt to break through the door?"

Tetsuya swallowed hard, looking out into the darkness and nodded again in assent.

"We could not take the chance of letting it escape as well," he agreed.

He watched silently as Orochi finished the reiatsu infusion, then laid the infant down to rest. Orochi waited until Kisho was asleep, then moved back to the barrier, where he sat, gazing out into the darkness. Tetsuya remained beside the sleeping infant for a time, watching Orochi with troubled eyes, before moving to join him.

"Is there a problem with Kisho-sama?" Orochi asked, his eyes still fastened on the darkness outside the barrier.

"No," Tetsuya replied, glancing back at the baby, "Kisho-sama is fine."

"Then, you should be sleeping as well."

"I will. But first, I should tell you, I sensed Arashi briefly a little while ago."

Orochi's eyes widened hopefully.

"The connection was weak, but if he moves closer, I could communicate with him. I am not sure what we will be able to do beyond that, but it would be good if we could at least have some contact with Byakuya-sama."

"It would," agreed Orochi, thinking carefully, "Tetsuya, I know that you and Arashi share powers. Could he perhaps pull us out of here? Your waterforms...he could perhaps use them to free us?"

"I don't know," Tetsuya said, gazing out into the night, "We can use waterforms to move ourselves and others. But...you must have sensed it as I did after entering this pocket dimension, the restriction makes it easier to enter this world than it is to leave. That makes sense as they would have wanted a way to enter the world to manage the creature in here. But they would have wanted stronger protections to keep it from escaping. Still, if I get a strong enough connection, I can bring Arashi to us...Arashi and others who might be with him. Then, we could have a better chance of defeating this creature."

Orochi sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.

"I don't know about that," he said softly, "That thing is horrendously powerful. I don't know that an army of shinigamis could face it down."

Tetsuya thought quietly for a moment, then bit his lip gently and continued.

"What about a divine attack?" he asked quietly.

Orochi gazed at him silently in the darkness. Tetsuya read the look in his eyes and registered surprise.

"You...know?" he asked.

Orochi hesitated, then nodded briefly.

"I have known that something was going on between you and Arashi for some time. I did not know the full nature of what it was. But...I have long known that your connection with that stallion is unusual...and that it is very uncommon for a shinigami to have a familiar who shares his powers. I wonder if Arashi is even really a separate being from you."

"He is and he isn't," Tetsuya confessed, "You know that Arashi first appeared after my release from the prison. When the seal on my powers was shattered, my powers proved to be too much for my weakened body. The force of my will to remain free once I left the prison caused the power to swell. I wore a limiter at first, but time and again, the power outstripped the limiter's ability to hold it back. And finally, it could not be held back anymore. I lost consciousness, and when I woke, Arashi was standing over me. He explained to me that my power could not be held within my body. It was slowly destroying me. The only way for me to manage it was for my soul to split. Arashi is a part of me. And when we join in our entirety, we are capable of unleashing a divine attack. We take the form, Shinigami Tenba, the Pegasus, and then we can fight on the level of a transcendent being."

"But...there is a price?" Orochi asked.

Tetsuya nodded.

"I cannot maintain that form for very long, so any fight must be handled quickly. Because I am a shinigami and I have not transcended, using my divine power will result in a loss of consciousness for a week or so...then a loss of my reiatsu for a month, perhaps two. I have only practiced with this power in my inner world, where I do not have to pay the consequences for its use. But...I could use this power against that monster if I can call Arashi to me."

He paused for a moment, considering his words carefully.

"Should it come to that, you must do whatever it takes to protect Kisho-sama from the combined release of power from that monster and from me as we fight."

Orochi hesitated, then nodded briefly in agreement.

"First things first," he said, coaxing Tetsuya to the back of the enclosure.

"What are you going to do?" Tetsuya asked, a bit breathlessly, a blush coming onto his face and throat.

Orochi read his cousin's expression and smirked.

"Don't look at me that way," he said reprovingly, "I am only going to make sure that you are working at your utmost capacity."

Tetsuya quieted and laid down, looking up into his cousin's dark, troubled eyes while Orochi's hands opened his yukata and laid themselves on his chest and lower abdomen.

"If I feed reiatsu directly into your spirit centers, it will restore you more fully and more quickly, so that you are ready to fight."

"But it will drain you because of the increased speed of the transfer," Tetsuya added, "Orochi, is that wise? With that thing around..."

"Do we have a choice?" Orochi asked, looking out through the barrier into the blackness, "I cannot kill that thing. I do not have a divine attack. So, my energy must be devoted to making you as strong as possible."

"But what if I cannot pull Arashi to me? Then..."

"Then, we will have to evade this monster until you can. Tetsuya, we are out of other options. You know that I am right. Hold still now."

Tetsuya relaxed his body, flinching only slightly as Orochi's hands first touched his skin, causing the blush to return, then settling again. Orochi's eyes held his quietly as his reiatsu flowed down into Tetsuya's spirit centers, flooding them with renewed power and softly lighting his body from within.

"There," Orochi said finally, pulling his hands away, "You are at full power...beyond your usual capacity, actually. This will also amplify your ability to connect with Arashi. You..."

Orochi's voice trailed off suddenly and his body sagged and slowly collapsed next to Tetsuya's. The younger man sat up and leaned over his senseless cousin, touching his face gently and calling his name urgently.

"Orochi! Orochi, you shouldn't have done that. You drained yourself too much. Let me..."

"N-no!" Orochi objected, forcing Tetsuya's hands away, "You need to be as strong as possible, Tetsuya. I w-will be fine. I just need to rest...to restore my own power now."

Tetsuya gazed at him quietly for a moment, then nodded. He turned away and sought their meager supplies, returning with hot green tea and several pieces of the fruit that Orochi had gathered. He expected that his elder cousin would refuse the offering, but to his surprise, Orochi merely nodded in quiet acceptance and consumed the food and drink in silence.

"Orochi, are you feeling better?" Tetsuya asked, glancing over at him, then looking out through the barrier again.

"I am fine. Don't worry. Lie down now and get some sleep."

"I am cold. I cannot seem to stay warm," Tetsuya confessed softly.

"Don't tell me that your fever has returned," Orochi said, sitting up too quickly, then stiffening and starting to fall back.

A moment later, he was caught gently and laid down again, and Tetsuya's warm body curled into his arms.

"Tetsuya..." he objected, but found himself unable to speak as his cousin's lips touched his very lightly, as though asking permission.

Orochi's eyes widened in surprise and his heart flickered restlessly in his chest. And looking into Tetsuya's oddly trusting eyes, scenting the soft air of sakura around them, feeling the closeness of their two entwined bodies slowly overcame him.

"Tetsuya," he whispered again, more breathlessly, his loins aching longingly as his body remembered his cousin's, "Tetsuya, this is wrong, but I..."

Tetsuya's lips took his more forcefully, silencing him and stealing away whatever resistance he had left in him. He returned his cousin's kisses, feeling a storm of arousal in his tired body that seemed to send the energy back through him. His hands clenched Tetsuya's yukata tightly and he thrust his tongue deeply into the younger man's mouth, treasuring the familiar softness and sweet taste within. Tetsuya's body settled on top of his, the soft thighs parted and his hips pressing forward so that their awakened members touched through the barrier of their thin clothing. And as much as he knew it was wrong, as much as he knew he should stop his cousin before they made love, the cavalcade of hard events, the precariousness of their situation and the rage of emotions that battered at him became suddenly unbearable.

He moaned Tetsuya's name more wantingly and shivered as he heard Tetsuya's hungry reply. Orochi's heart ached at how he had hurt the younger man before, thinking it justice, when it was truly the farthest thing from it, and he swore to himself that if it took an eternity, he would make up the debt he owed to that one person with whom he had shared the full weight of his lifelong pain.

With an effort, he unclenched his hands where they held on to Tetsuya's yukata. He turned his cousin onto his back and loosed the ties that held the clothing that separated them. He looked down into Tetsuya's widened eyes and brushed his lips against his cousin's.

"I am afraid I can't hold myself back anymore," he said in warning to the younger shinigami, "but it is not like before. I am not angry anymore, Tetsuya. I don't want to hurt you this time."

Tetsuya didn't answer, but merely bit gently at his lips and nodded in acceptance. He made a soft sound somewhere between anticipation and distress, but found his anxiety quickly undone as Orochi's mouth captured his and the hands that caressed Tetsuya's softly shaking body were gentler and more patient in their explorations. And to a body that had been accustomed to experiencing sexual pain, the erotic effect was sweetly amplified. Tears flooded Tetsuya's eyes and leaked onto his face at the intensity of love and pleasure those formerly cruel hands now gave him.

He turned his head away and caught his breath in surprise as Orochi's mouth fastened on his throat, sucking hungrily at the tender, white flesh, while his hands seemed to invade every part of him. He felt the searing heat of Orochi's hardened arousal against one soft, inner thigh, then flinched at the memory of how it had hurt to be penetrated by it before.

But where Orochi had been full of anger and impatience always before, this time he moved slowly, distracting his cousin with penetrating kisses and pleasantly erotic strokes, while slowly preparing the younger man for their joining.

"I know that it's wrong for me to let this happen," Orochi whispered in his ear, "but you are the only light left in this darkness all around me, Tetsuya."

"We will find our way home, Orochi," Tetsuya said reassuringly, "We will not be trapped here forever. I feel it. Arashi is getting closer. I will be able to connect with him soon."

Orochi shook his head and sought Tetsuya's warm, hungry lips again.

"I wasn't speaking about that," he explained, "I was talking about the blackness inside me...the hatred. All I've known is that darkness since my mother went mad and left our home. And all I have longed for is revenge. I am just sorry that I took that revenge on you, when in truth, I was the one that drove my mother mad!"

"But don't you understand?" Tetsuya asked, taking hold of his hands, "It wasn't you at all, Orochi. And it wasn't your mother, your father or Kaiyo. Remember the man who infused those doubts in your mother's mind. Aizen Sousuke is a cruel, sadistic psychopath. He was only posing as a gentle, trustworthy person back then. He played with your mother's mind and left her bound in an illusion. That must be what afflicts her. Orochi, when we return, we must go to her and try to shatter those illusions! We can free her. Perhaps now, she can get better."

"I find that hope a slim one," Orochi said softly, "but...I am...grateful to you for trying to give me hope, Tetsuya. I don't know how you are able to forgive me what I did to you..."

"Don't think about that anymore, Orochi," Tetsuya said, interrupting his words with kisses, "Let all of that go now. You said that I have been a light in the darkness. Think on that instead. All of those years ago, your body taught mine the meaning of darkness, anger...revenge. Make love to me, Orochi. Now, let my body teach yours to have hope, and teach mine to know love/ You said that I belonged to you."

"But that was..."

"I know. But I accepted it then and I still do. I belong to you. I have ever since that first time we were together. However dark it was, it was the beginning of our pathway to this."

"Tetsuya, look around you! All there is, is darkness! Darkness and that horrid monster! There is no real hope left for us and you know it! All we have left is..."

Tetsuya's fingertips touched his lips, shocking him soundly into silence.

"All we have left is _here, now...each other_," Tetsuya said, kissing him again, "But...that is all we have _ever_ had, Orochi. Don't you see?"

Orochi went still and breathless, his hard, black eyes glaring down into Tetsuya's.

"_Damn you_, for getting inside me, you ridiculous _pest_!" he hissed, "You never give up, do you? You never give up on anyone. You arrogant little ass! You probably think that you could redeem the devil himself!"

Tetsuya's lips curved upward into a smirk.

"I have turned the devil, haven't I?" he asked, a bit smugly.

"Have you?" Orochi asked, his eyes glinting in challenge, "Is that what you think? We shall see then. I am either going to kill you or make love to you. Even I don't know which. But if the light finally dawns and you are still alive, Tetsuya, I will marry you. I will marry you and take you back to my family and let the chips fall where they will. And when I lose everything and we end up living like animals in some shack out in the wilderness, you can decide whether or not I am worth the redeeming."

Tetsuya laughed and started to answer, but found his mouth busied with hard kisses, and his body reeling under a rage of erotic touches and caresses. He met Orochi's mouth eagerly, leaning into his cousin's hands, wholly unafraid, despite his cousin's final, half-hearted attempt to push him away. And even when the other man's fingers breached his entrance, Tetsuya's body remained blissfully calm and deeply aroused. He moved restlessly with the fingers that worked to prepare him, snapping more impatiently at his cousin's lips and attacking his exposed throat almost viciously.

He meant to enter slowly, so as not to hurt Tetsuya, but the younger man's body felt the beginning of the waited for invasion and reared upward. A harsh sound of mingled pain and arousal escaped Tetsuya as the two men's bodies joined and thrust heatedly against each other, seeking bliss and completion. Anger, hatred, revenge and darkness fell away as the two embraced each other, holding on tightly, looking into each other's eyes and seeking what they could find only together.

Tetsuya's eyes fluttered as pleasure began to overtake him. A beautiful, erotic cry of completion escaped his lips and traveled across the distance between them to crash headlong into the other man's heart. Heat exploded between the two, raging more fiercely than the storm had been. Tetsuya gasped as Orochi's seething release filled him, and he felt his own seed spill out onto their still writhing, bare bodies. Orochi collapsed onto him, and the two went quiet and still, panting more softly and basking in the warm, lovely haze of satedness.

The two had nearly fallen asleep, when suddenly the barrier protecting them shattered and unseen hands grabbed Orochi and dragged him out into the darkness.

"Orochi!" screamed Tetsuya, scrambling instantly to reach Kisho.

He gathered the infant into his arms and pressed deeply into the corner, peering into the blackness.

"Orochi!" he cried desperately as lightning flashed suddenly, illuminating the scene outside.

Tetsuya stiffened.

"No!" he cried, setting Kisho down and quickly setting a protective spell around him.

He flash stepped towards the two struggling forms on the beach,

"Stop!" he cried desperately, "Don't!"


	11. Broken Love

**Chapter 11: Broken Love**

**(Thanks to reviewers Moegi (Fate has something in store for this star crossed couple, but fate can be dangerous!), BunnyHopster26 (Ah yes, impossible enemies becoming adoring lovers, fun but it can be tricky dealing with the feelings of others.), Princess Moon Shadow (Here you go!), and Aurelia Cotta (This is going to really work the relationships between Byakuya/Tetsuya, Renji/Tetsuya, Orochi/Tetsuya and Byakuya/Orochi. Yes, there will be dangerous fireworks!). Thanks again and enjoy the chapter!**

"Stop, please stop!" Tetsuya cried, flash stepping furiously and throwing himself between the two clashing forms on the beach.

An attacking blade came down, aiming for Orochi, but meeting Tetsuya's as the blue-eyed noble called it to his hand. Tetsuya's desperate eyes locked with the steely gray eyes of the Kuchiki clan leader.

"Byakuya-sama, it is enough! Orochi did not hurt me! Please believe me. He did not do anything wrong."

Byakuya's blade paused where it had crashed down on Re-kuhime and his enraged eyes blazed down into Tetsuya's.

"I cannot be hearing you correctly," Byakuya hissed icily, his reiatsu crackling dangerously in the air around him, "You cannot be looking me in the eyes and telling me that after what he did, you have allowed that man to defile you again willingly."

Out of the corner of an eye, Tetsuya spotted Arashi kneeling a short distance away and holding a healing field around an unconscious Abarai Renji.

"Please," he panted softly, "We must get everyone under cover. I know you must have sensed the creature that inhabits this place. I will hear whatever you have to say to me, but Renji-san is obviously hurt and our feelings about what happened between Orochi and me can be worked out once we are all under the protection of a reiatsu barrier!"

Byakuya held his gaze for a moment longer, the anger still plain in his expression, but he lifted his blade and with his eyes on Orochi, slid it back into its sheath.

"_You_," he said to Orochi in a calm, but threatening tone, "You are under house arrest."

"On what charges?" Tetsuya demanded, "I told you. He did nothing wr..."

"Over there," he said, cutting Tetsuya off and pointing to a small hollow in the rock, a short distance from the protected area they had been occupying.

Orochi avoided Tetsuya's eyes and moved quietly to the place the clan leader had indicated, where he smoothed the sand beneath him and laid down as Byakuya placed a barrier around him.

"You cannot leave that place," he told Orochi, "I will free you from it, once we are ready to leave."

"But Byakuya-sama, Abarai-san is hurt and you are not..."

"Silence."

"You will need me to help fight that thing!"

"If we need _you_, then we do not deserve a victory," Byakuya said coldly, "Say no more. The council will deal with you when we return home. I told you after we came back from freeing Itamigiri that if you ever touched him again, you would face the penalties for what you did to him!"

"What?" Tetsuya asked incredulously, "You cannot mean to...!"

Byakuya turned a stern eye on him and Tetsuya went silent again, shivering at the anger in the other man's visage.

"You were so traumatized after Sadao rescued you from the water, that I do not think you remember what you were like, Tetsuya," Byakuya said in a low, furious voice, "For weeks, you laid in a bed, barely cognizant, refusing to eat, unable to sleep without coming awake, screaming from terrifying nightmares, and crying for your lost love. For months, you did not speak, except to loose his name when you shed tears at his graveside. You were afraid of your own shadow, and would not look any of us in the eyes, Tetsuya. And it took years to fully unburden you of the habits that _his_ abuse instilled in you. I should have killed him then. I should have put him out of all of our misery! The only reason that I did not was that you asked me to pardon him. Our clan healer said that you had attached negatively to him, and that it would make you defend him...this one who hurt you! It made me sick inside to see him walk free as he did. But in addition to your refusal to accuse him, the clan rules of the time required a full-blooded witness to substantiate your story. So, even if you had accused him, there was no one to substantiate your story. Do you remember how coldly he taunted you? How he insulted and degraded you at every opportunity? Do you remember any of that, Tetsuya? Or have you truly forgotten the depths of his treachery?"

"The depths of his pain," Tetsuya began.

He stopped at the look of warning Orochi gave him.

"_His_ pain, Tetsuya? What about yours? And what about your Naoki's? Does that mean nothing to you? He hurt the one you loved and he hurt you badly. There is no forgiveness for sins of this kind...none, Tetsuya."

Tetsuya's face paled and he closed his teary eyes.

"Do you understand?" Byakuya asked, more gently.

A tear broke free of one closed blue eye and leaked onto Tetsuya's white face. His eyes opened again and met Byakuya's steely gaze.

"Tetsuya?"

"Hai," Tetsuya answered in a soft, half-sob, "I understand."

His body shook with emotion as he continued.

"B-byakuya-sama's orders come only from a p-place of love and protection," he whispered, accepting Byakuya's arms around him as the clan leader embraced him, "I know that you are only doing what you feel is best for me. I confess, I am so confused, I do not know what is right anymore. But I know that Kisho-sama and I would have died if not for Orochi's intercession several times. He saved us from the quincy's death blow and he has protected us from the monster that dwells in this place. He did not have to do those things. And if you will listen to what he has to say, once we are home again, perhaps you will know what is the right thing."

"I already know," Byakuya said quietly, "You are to stay away from that man and allow me to deal with him. I will see that he receives what is just for his crimes, while granting him some amount of lenience for that he protected the two of you."

"Arigatou, Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya sighed, resting his head on his cousin's shoulder, "I know that you will be just in dealing with him. I am grateful."

"You are welcome," Byakuya told him, warmth returning to his voice as Tetsuya released him and laid down within the protected area again, "I want you to put this out of your mind now. You need to rest and gather your strength. As soon as Renji is recovered enough, you and he will have to destroy that monster, so that we all can go home."

"Yes, Byakuya-sama."

Tetsuya turned onto his side, watching as Byakuya moved to Renji's side and assisted Arashi with the redhead's healing. Then, the clan leader lifted his husband's injured body and carried him to the place where Tetsuya waited. Arashi followed, settling in a corner of the alcove as Byakuya set the protective barrier in place. Byakuya then retrieved Kisho from where Tetsuya had concealed him and held the infant against him while he leaned over Renji to continue to treat his wounds.

"What happened out there?" Tetsuya asked softly, "How did Renji-san get hurt?"

Byakuya looked down at the unconscious redhead and let his fingertips caress Renji's as he spoke.

"We were searching the precipice world for you, when we were beset by some of the remnant quincy forces that attacked you. They favor remaining in the precipice world and avoiding the cleaner, then assaulting those attempting to pass through. The errant reiatsu in the area makes it difficult to know they are coming and the narrow corridors make fighting more difficult for us. We saw them coming, but Arashi had sensed you were near and we did not wish to be forced from the corridor. Renji knew that my powers have not yet fully returned. I am fine with healing and defensive techniques, but I left the offensive maneuvers to Arashi and him. When we were driven back and cornered, Renji attacked to draw their attention and Arashi forced his way into this realm. But Renji was injured, holding the way open, so that we could all escape together."

"Ah," said Tetsuya, "So, we must worry, not only about the monster here, but about what awaits us in the precipice world."

"If we handle the dispatching of the creature here quickly, you may be able to hold on to your divine form long enough so that we can escape into the living world or the Seireitei, whichever is closest when we emerge from here."

Byakuya turned his gaze to the area outside the barrier, where the rain had paused and bright stars were beginning to peek out from behind the clouds.

"I am going to leave with Arashi to track the movements of the creature out there," he told Tetsuya. "We will be able to conceal our reiatsu sufficiently to watch him and learn more about him. You are to take care of yourself and Kisho, and when Renji awakens, please tend to him."

"Yes, Byakuya-sama."

"And Tetsuya, you are not to free Orochi, no matter what happens. Do you understand?"

"Hai, I will not free him."

Byakuya nodded in approval, then rose and motioned for Arashi to join him. The stallion came to his feet and followed, pausing briefly to nuzzle his master.

_I am glad you are all right. I will be back soon._

"It is good to see you as well, Arashi," Tetsuya whispered, touching the stallion's face gently, then watching as the two left the protection of the barrier.

As soon as he was sure they were gone, he left the protected area and approached the barrier that imprisoned Orochi. His cousin's coal black eyes looked out at him darkly.

"What are you doing? I thought that he told you to stay away from me."

Tetsuya smiled.

"He told me not to free you. And I will not. However, I think he is wrong. I think that we will need your fighting power, so here...eat...keep up your strength."

"Tetsuya, he will know that you..." Orochi objected.

"I gave you half of my portion."

"But you will weaken yourself!"

"No, I have had plenty to eat. I am at full strength. Go ahead," he said, extending his hands to place the food within the barrier.

Tetsuya caught his breath in surprise as the food passed through, but contact between his hands and the barrier caused a crackle of warning.

"Ah," Orochi said, smiling and shaking his head, "It seems that our leader knows you very well, Tetsuya. He made sure that your feelings for me would not overcome your obedience to him."

"I wasn't going to let you out," Tetsuya said crossly, rubbing his hand where the jolt had stung it, "But he was wrong to lock you in here without food, and not keeping up your strength for use in the battle with that beast. I know he is angry, but he cannot reduce our chances of survival just because he is angry with you. But he won't be argued with. I know that look in his eyes. He is furious, and not just with you. I think he is even angrier with me."

"I think you are right," Orochi agreed, beginning to work at the food that Tetsuya had given him, "And Byakuya is right as well. You should not come near me, Tetsuya. While you and I might forget what happened before, Byakuya never will."

"Then, we should tell him. If we explain to him..."

"I find that possibility to be meager at best, Tetsuya. And if I am going to give up everything that is left of the family I knew, I will not throw it away without reason. Tetsuya, you know that my mother is still alive and receiving treatments. If I lose everything, then she will have to leave that place, and I will not be there to care for her. In any case, caring for her will be dangerous. She is still very unbalanced, my father said, and she needs continued treatment. I have to keep their secret so that she has what she needs. It is the last thing that I can do for them, and despite my feelings over everything that happened, I do not want her to suffer. You can understand that, ne?"

Tetsuya bit at his lips and looked at the ground between them.

"Yes, I can understand. But what if I speak to _my_ parents?"

"No, Tetsuya. Sadao would never..."

"Mai, then," Tetsuya suggested, "She always understands. She has a great heart. She could convince Sadao."

"Tetsuya, please," Orochi insisted, shaking his head firmly, "I cannot take the risk. Remember that those people were the ones who saw most clearly how much I hurt you. Do you really expect them to look the other way as you embrace your former tormentor? It is like a slap in the face to them. Had I been thinking more clearly, and not had my mind muddled with desperation..."

"Do not finish that sentence," Tetsuya said, his voice shaking slightly, "Very well, then. If you wish, I will say nothing of what you told me. But only reassure me that you are not leaving me, Orochi. We will find a way to be together...whatever happens. Promise me that."

Orochi let out a frustrated breath.

"Tetsuya, you know I can't promise you that!" he objected, looking down at the food in front of him, "Byakuya is going to have the council imprison me for who knows long, to pay for what I did to you. I am grateful that you were able to convince him that I deserved leniency for protecting you and Kisho-sama, but still...if he gets any angrier, it could be even longer before I am freed. I dare not defy him right now. I have too much to lose. Not that I want to lose you...but you are strong. Unlike my mother, you can weather life without me and even thrive that way. Trust me, Tetsuya. Given our history, it is better for us to give this up than to drag our already battered clan into an internal battle. You know what that would be like. Neither of us wants that."

Tears came to Tetsuya's eyes again, but he turned his head away, looking back at the barrier that protected Kisho and the unconscious Abarai Renji.

"As you will, then," he said, surprised at how he was completely unable to hide the pain the words caused him.

He turned away and rose to return to the alcove.

"Tetsuya," Orochi said quietly.

The blue-eyed noble froze, but remained facing away from Orochi.

"What happened between us tonight was unbearably beautiful. I am thankful that we were able to settle things between us. That should give both of us some amount of peace as we move forward. And I am not saying that we have to give up on this altogether. If things change and we are able, I would very much like to be with you."

Tetsuya looked back and met Orochi's eyes quietly, offering him a small, sad smile of acceptance.

"I would like to be with you also," he whispered.

"Then, we are not without hope. But for now, we must focus on preparing for the battle to get out of this place. Go and rest as Byakuya told you to."

Tetsuya said nothing in reply, but turned away again and returned to the protected area. He picked up Kisho and brought the infant to his shoulder, then realized suddenly that Renji's eyes were open and looking at him.

"Renji-san!" he exclaimed, scrambling to the redhead's side, "Renji-san, you are awake!"

"Y-yeah," the redhead panted, sitting up slowly, then putting a hand to his head and cursing softly, "Ow...damn it!"

"Lie down, Renji-san," Tetsuya said quickly, "I will make you some tea."

"Tea..." Renji chuckled, "Tea isn't gonna do shit for this headache I've got. But thanks."

"I can reduce the pain you're in as well," Tetsuya said, laying Kisho down again and easing him onto his back again.

He leaned over the injured redhead and called his healing power to life.

"O-oh!" groaned Renji, closing his eyes again, "Thanks, Tetsuya."

"You are welcome, Renji-san," the blue-eyed noble said, nodding briefly as he continued the healing, "Thank you for protecting Byakuya-sama, and for coming to find us. Orochi and I had begun to think that no one would be able to find us."

One of Renji's eyes opened and observed Tetsuya's powerlit face for a moment, before closing again.

"We weren't going to give up on you," he assured the younger man, "We never had any intention of doing that."

"Of course," Tetsuya said, letting his power fade, then picking up Kisho again, "You knew that Kisho-sama was depending on you."

"We also knew that he couldn't be in better hands," Renji replied, gazing up at Tetsuya meaningfully, "As much as you try to ignore the fact of being his father also, you are the one who would do the most to protect him. And as much as we would do to find him, we would do the same to find you. We wouldn't have our son if it wasn't for you. We really owe you for that. It wasn't just a miracle to raise Byakuya's spirits after all he suffered in the war. It raised mine too. You proved yourself to be more than any friend. There isn't really a word that describes what you are to us. But you are precious to us, Tetsuya...to Byakuya and me. I...hope that you will keep that in mind once we return to the Seireitei."

Tetsuya bit his lip gently and closed his eyes.

"You saw me speaking to him."

"Yeah...and I heard Byakuya tell you to stay away from him. I know you've gotta be pretty confused, really messed up inside from having to fight to survive here, and wondering if anyone would be able to find you. But you are safe now. You don't need that guy to survive anymore."

"Byakuya-sama already explained this to me," Tetsuya said shortly.

"After which, you defied him and went to talk to him."

"I went to offer him food to keep his strength up," Tetsuya countered, an edge of anger in his voice, "Because, unlike the two of you, I think that we need to forget our differences while we are still caught up in the struggle to survive here. To not use a source of power to protect ourselves is to do a disservice to that child who depends on us!"

"Whoa...hey, don't lump me in with Byakuya," Renji said, shaking his head, then wincing, "I'm not as pissed at Orochi as he is, though it's probably because I wasn't there when he saved you and picked up the pieces of you after you were freed from the prison. Tetsuya, you know that's why he is having such a strong reaction to your change of heart about Orochi."

"Well, he doesn't understand. It isn't that I do not remember what he did, and it isn't that I have recklessly chosen to pursue him, despite what he did. But there are...reasons...things I do not have leave to explain."

"I don't think anything you could say would change Byakuya's mind right now," Renji said gently, "He loves you, Tetsuya. It isn't the kind of love that you and Naoki shared, but it's strong like that. he would do anything to protect you. And he sees Orochi as a very real threat."

Tetsuya sighed resignedly.

"I know I will never convince either of you, and I cannot explain my feelings. But I know with all of my heart that Orochi will not hurt me anymore. I know it."

"But we don't," Renji said sadly.

"And because of that, I will obey Byakuya-sama's wishes and I will not pursue him. But, neither will I allow Byakuya-sama's anger with him to lessen our chances of survival."

Renji nodded.

"Okay. But don't take Byakuya on about that, all right? You let me handle him. And you just keep your head down and do what he tells you."

Tetsuya let out another soft sigh and nodded.

"That is wise advice, Renji-san. You are a good friend...also one that cannot be defined in words. I will listen to you."

"Good," Renji said sleepily, "It's gonna be hard enough dealing with Byakuya being pissed at that Orochi. Having you working against him would only make things worse."

He trailed off, yawning and curled up on his side, flinching now and again as his body protested at the beating it had taken. Tetsuya smiled and remained at his side, holding Kisho close and continuing the redhead's healing as the clouds thickened outside the barrier and the rain began to fall again.

From within the smaller barrier, Orochi's dark eyes observed him quietly.

_I am sorry, Tetsuya. But perhaps this is really for the best._


	12. The Rain of Penitence

**Chapter 12: The Rain of Penitence**

**(I want to give my deepest thanks to everyone reading and reviewing! To Moegi (LOL, you think that because you know me too well!), Renji-Bya-Lover (Yes, there will be a lot of struggle between Tetsuya and Byakuya, as well as some touching moments that will bring tears to the eyes...at least mine! Ah, and sorry about me not being able to keep up reading this past couple of weeks. I was swamped with Passover celebrations (my husband's side of the family), colliding with Easter (on my side of the family), as well as flu rampaging through my family, my sister having a second abdominal surgery, a close uncle having major heart surgery and my close friend just found out that after having survived two bouts of breast cancer, it metasticized and has spread to her lungs. Yeah...I haven't even posted on my own stories for two days while the worst of the shit was hitting the fan, but hey, it makes for good angst. So, if you're waiting for that, it should be up and coming soon. Anyway, I will try to get some reading time in asap. I really want to know what happens next in both of your stories I was reading! Cheers!), and Princess Moon Shadow (So happy you are enjoying the story!). Have a good read everyone!)**

Tetsuya heard Byakuya's step on the sand outside the barrier and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep, so as to avoid any conflict over what had happened before. He shifted slightly, a soft sigh escaping him as he registered the telltale dampness between his thighs that gave a deeper sense of reality to what had happened between Orochi and him, and what would probably happen between Byakuya and him if he refused to obey the clan leader's order.

_The last thing I want is to set them against each other. No matter who won, my heart would be shattered. No matter who was still alive, I would lose someone I..._

He froze, an icy feeling flooding his body, stealing away the warmth that Orochi's love had filled him with.

_Orochi's love?_

_I have always thought of Orochi as 'heartless.' I have experienced the extremes of that man's hatred, and until we came here, I could not desire him. I thought that I only feared him._

_But fear creates its own kind of attachment._

_Within the prison, he did torment me, but he never let anyone else touch me. And sometimes, after he would take me, he would fall asleep with me resting naked in his arms. And in his sleep..._

Tetsuya shivered.

_In his sleep, Orochi would cry. _

_I never saw him any way but angry otherwise. Angry and vengeful to the core, he raped and beat me countless times. Then, in his sleep, he would cry to her that he was making 'that devil' pay for his sins. I did not understand any of that. I only understood those moments when he would wake and, thinking I was sleeping, he would touch me more tenderly before he had quite regained his senses. And what I learned was that, from the start, Orochi's heart wanted to love me. But, shouldering that burden from before, he had to fight that instinct. Because, to his mind, he could not fall in love with 'the devil' that he thought I was._

_And until he revealed the truth and abandoned the wrongful path he had taken, I could not love him._

_But secretly, I did._

_Orochi was strong at a time when I was weak. And even though he hurt me, he also protected me. And when he thought that I would die in the liberation of the prison, he didn't just protect me, he protected my Naoki too! He did not have to protect me, or the one he knew I was in love with, but something made him do that. And when he came here, protecting me and the child I made with those two others, he shed the burden of that old hatred and thus freed us to love each other._

_Yes, even if it was only this one time, we finally came to understand what made us always come back to each other. If not for Aizen Sousuke's treachery, if not for the devastating secrets and misunderstandings, Orochi would have come to Itamigiri bearing a different heart. He would have been my rescuer, and perhaps my lover. He still would have protected Naoki and me, and when Naoki was lost, he would have comforted me. Byakuya would not have had cause to hate him and we would not be forced apart this way._

Tears came to Tetsuya's eyes, falling as furiously as the rain outside. Silent sobs rocked his body, shaking him forcefully and stealing his control away. A hard, hopeless sob erupted from him, making Byakuya turn and come to his side. And bereft of all else, Tetsuya clung to the bracing arms that wrapped around him.

"S-sumimasen!" he managed brokenly, "Please forgive me. I have not forgotten what went before, nor what you did for me. And even though it tears my heart, I will obey you, Byakuya-sama!"

He waited with his eyes tightly closed, his face buried in his cousin's shoulder. But, as long as he waited, no words came from Byakuya. He only held his grieving cousin quietly and caressed his hair and back gently.

_I am a disgrace. To spit in the face of this one who has given me everything...to put him in such a position._

_Why?_

_Why did Sadao and Byakuya ever save me?_

_Why did Orochi desire me, even when he wanted to hate me?_

_Why did Naoki love me?_

_Why did my mother look on me with such affection the few times we were together?_

_Why won't my heart just understand and allow me to let him go, gracefully?_

_The cries of my body, I could always control. I could bear horrific pain physically and not utter a sound, so great was the control that I learned. But this...this comes from somewhere deep inside and will not be held back. This is not a cry of my body, but one of heart and soul. It was used to being borne silently too. But I cannot hold it back anymore. Please forgive me, Naoki._

_Please forgive me, Byakuya-sama._

_Please forgive me, Sadao...Mai...Koji...Aratani...Kohana._

_I am sorry._

_I am sorry._

"I am so sorry!" he whispered miserably, clenching Byakuya's torn shihakushou, "I am..."

His body flinched and his mind reeled in agony as Byakuya's power swiftly incapacitated him and he drifted towards sleep.

"You okay, Byakuya?" Renji asked, biting at his lips against the pain as he sat up and watch the clan leader lower his cousin back onto the sand, "But...I guess you couldn't be, could you?"

"You shouldn't be sitting up," the noble said in a low, tired voice, "Go back to sleep, Renji. I need you at full power as soon as possible. That thing out there is beyond our power. And it is intelligent. It knows we are here. It stalks and studies us, sensing that not just anyone could have broken in here. It is cautious in its approach to us, but it will forget that caution soon and attack us. Everything must go into preparing for that."

"Yeah, okay," the redhead agreed, "I'll rest. But you should too. Fleabag, here is better rested than you are and can keep watch for awhile. C'mon, I need you to keep me warm anyway."

Byakuya gave a reluctant sigh, but slipped the haori from his shoulders and draped it over his sleeping cousin, then returned to Renji's side. He glanced over at the warmly wrapped infant sleeping on Renji's far side, then his eyes followed Arashi as the stallion rose and left the enclosure to stand guard.

"Look," said Renji, "I know you don't want to talk about it, so don't answer me if you don't want to. And I'm not trying to say you're doing something wrong here, but...I did talk to Tetsuya. And while he didn't try to defend that guy, Orochi, he did say that there were reasons for what he was doing."

"_Nothing_," Byakuya said bitingly, "There is nothing at all, no excuse, that could ever explain what Orochi did to my cousin. What he did and got away with, actually. You weren't there, Renji. You didn't see the guards in that place, going from cell to cell, killing as many of the inmates as they could, while they were defenseless, pleading and cowering in the corners or making some attempt to reach the bastards through the bars. You don't know how fast I ran, knowing that the son of my father's favorite cousin was in danger of being among the dead...how I became desperate when I found Tetsuya's cell empty, after everything I had done to reach him. And even when Sadao called me to where he had found and rescued Tetsuya from the water, he was hurt so badly and broken apart from endless torments, years of horrid treatment and losing the one person who held him together through everything. And in all of the time that followed his release, never once did my cousin cry for himself. When he woke, screaming and crying, it was for Naoki. When he dreamed of his own torments, his screams were silent."

"I get it," Renji said, opening their clothing, then laying his warm body against his husband's, "And I'm not saying that you should just step back and let Tetsuya have his way. I'm just saying that the harder you are on Orochi, the more it will hurt Tetsuya."

"I _know_ that!" Byakuya snapped, pausing as Kisho whimpered softly, then stuck his fingers in his mouth and drifted off to sleep again, "I am aware. But what am I to do? I only agreed not to pursue charges against Orochi because there was no way to prove his involvement to the satisfaction of the council. But, determined to do _something_ to protect Tetsuya, I cornered Orochi alone and told him that he could accept death at my hands as punishment for what he had done or he could give me sworn evidence of his involvement so that if he ever laid a hand on my cousin again, he would pay the price."

"Doesn't sound like totally legal tactics," Renji mused, "but you were protecting Tetsuya. I understand. And it's gotta be a slap in the face to see him go to that guy on his own."

"Tetsuya is lonely. I understand that," Byakuya said, stiffening his lips and shaking his head, "Carrying Kisho for us...it must have been a terrible burden, because Tetsuya steadfastly refused to think of Kisho as his own, despite being one of his fathers. I know he was protecting his heart, because he longs for a family and a child of his own, but he is not going to _find_ those things with Orochi."

"Well, I don't know," said Renji, "If Tetsuya can have a kid for us, then..."

"Do not finish that sentence," Byakuya said darkly, "That is _never_ going to happen. Fortunately, having had Kisho so recently, his body will still be carrying a factor that will prohibit a new pregnancy until sufficient time has passed. And I will not give Orochi any openings from now on, knowing that it could be his intention to impregnate my cousin on purpose!"

"You don't really think he wants that, ne?" Renji asked, frowning, "He went out of his way before to point out Tetsuya's mixed blood every chance he got. That would be one fucking weird case of 'if you can't beat'em, join'em,' if you ask me. I don't think that the two of them were really thinking very deeply about what they were doing when they made l..."

"_Had sex,_" Byakuya hissed, correctively, "Don't you dare..."

"Okay, okay...I don't think that was on their minds when they had sex with each other. They were marooned here with that fucking monster and trying to protect Kisho, and emotions just got out of hand."

"If that was so," Byakuya said, looking over at his senseless cousin, "then as soon as they had stepped over that boundary, they would have realized and stopped themselves. That Orochi made no effort at all, to resist when I arrested him, and that Tetsuya will not _stop_ defending that man suggests something else. And you say that Tetsuya is not able to come clean about it. All that says to me is that, no matter what the reason, it is better to separate them now than to let this go on and to allow them to bond more closely."

"I guess you're right about that," Renji said uncertainly, "but Byakuya, we have to do something to pull Tetsuya out of the tailspin he's gone into. We're depending on Arashi and him to get all of our asses out of here, and if he's feeling like there's nothing for him to fight for, we may end up having a serious problem when this all comes down."

Byakuya shook his head resolutely.

"Tetsuya and Arashi will not fail to defeat that beast," he replied firmly, "His devotion to Kisho and to me will see him through. However, your Hikotsu Taihou will be critical in breaking through the doorway to get us back into the precipice world."

"Yeah, well then we'd batter hope that big, scary son of a bitch doesn't decide to have us for lunch before I'm finished recharging here."

"That would be distressing," Byakuya acknowledged.

"But you know, you could let Orochi help us out. He has a bankai, ne?"

"No," Byakuya said with finality, "He is not coming out of that barrier until the fight is over and the doorway opened."

"Byakuya," Renji said quietly, "Don't get pissed at me, here...or do get pissed if you need to, but hear me out."

"I won't hear anything more about letting that man loose, Abarai," the noble snapped.

"Hey!" Renji snapped back, "Look around you! We are caught in this pocket dimension with a fucking monster that it's gonna take a _divine_ attack to even have a shred of hope of beating! Our lives are all on the line."

"I _know _that, Renji. And I..."

"Do you?" Renji asked, struggling to sit up again and grabbing his abdomen and pain shot through it, "You know, I've looked up to you forever. You're a beast on the battlefield and you can make strategy it'd take anyone else a year to come up with, at the drop of a hat. You're smart, powerful and wise enough to know better than to lower our chances of survival, just because you hate that guy. Go ahead and hate him, Byakuya. Kill him, if you want...when we get outta here and are safe at home. But don't fucking risk all of our lives...Kisho's too, just because you can't stand him, okay? The taichou I know and love would _never_ do that."

Byakuya stiffened and his eyes blazed as they stared back at Renji. He started to speak, but went silent again as the reiatsu around them began to rise ominously.

"Shit," Renji breathed, watching as Byakuya quickly ensured that Kisho was in a sheltered corner, then coaxed Tetsuya back into wakefulness.

The younger noble swallowed hard, taking up a position next to his cousin and looking out through the barrier, into the darkness. The air crackled with errant reiatsu and the ground rumbled softly as the monstrous creature ambled in their direction.

_Arashi, are you all right?_

Tetsuya sighed in relief as the stallion answered immediately.

_I am fine, Master. My reiatsu is drawn in and I am concealed near you. He hasn't spotted me._

The three men within the barrier caught their breath in dismay as Kisho came awake and let out an unhappy cry. Renji gathered the infant in his arms and pressed back against the hard rock, while Tetsuya held his blade ready and Byakuya fed his reiatsu into the concealing barrier.

The beast moved closer, its warning growl sounding and making Kisho cry harder into Renji's shoulder. Renji soothed the infant with soft kisses on the forehead and reassuring whispers, but the tot seemed unable to calm himself as the monstrous creature honed in on them. Byakuya left the barrier and returned to Renji's side, where he laid a soft hand on Kisho's tearstained cheek and gently induced sleep.

Tetsuya moved closer to the barrier, watching with widened eyes as the huge creature came into view. Looking more closely, he could see that it wasn't any sort of hollow, nor a living world type, but appeared to be a tall, reptilian soul. Wide yellow and black eyes looked down and scanned the area around it as it moved forward. The movements were short and purposeful and Tetsuya read in the creature's build that despite his large size, he could move swiftly when agitated...or when seeking his prey.

He winced as Byakuya moved closer again and drew his own weapon.

"I am not sure of the origin of this creature," the clan leader whispered, "However, I have read before in the archive that during a period of extensive research by our twelfth division, there were more than a few unintentional 'creations' of this sort. Even before Urahara Kisuke began the Research and Development Department, the twelfth was the division most responsible for providing scientific intel, as opposed to the second, which specialized in secret ops and enemy intel. This beast is likely one of their failed experiments...too powerful and intelligent to be killed easily and not likely to accept our rules and standards. So they locked a number of them into these 'pocket dimensions' within the precipice world so that they could not wreak havoc on our society."

"Hell, no wonder that thing is so pissed at us," Renji mused, "You said it knows we're here?"

"It knows we are in this area," Byakuya explained, "but it has not pinpointed our location."

"So if we remain here," Tetsuya added softly, "We will eventually be discovered."

"But if we move," Renji whispered, "that thing will just be waiting to attack."

"Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya said quietly, "I think that..."

The three men went still and silent as the reptilian creature sounded, a shrill, earsplitting wailing sound that shook sand and rock, and rippled the surface of the rain spattered lake. The sound alone shattered the kido keeping Kisho asleep, and the baby came awake with a terrified howl.

"Kami!" Byakuya breathed, gathering up the infant and trying desperately to soothe him, "I cannot use another sleep kido so soon."

Their faces paled as the beast's head turned and it started towards the enclosure. Tetsuya gripped his weapon, calling out to Arashi in his mind and setting a number of waterforms around the enclosure.

"Stay in physical contact with me," he hissed softly, "Arashi is setting a waterform near..."

He broke off as black light flared within the enclosure where Orochi was confined.

"Over here, you filthy bastard!" Orochi howled, "Bankai, Hebi no odori, Hadoku!"

"What is he doing?" Tetsuya hissed, trying to tear away from the others, "Orochi!"

"No, don't!" Byakuya cried, forcing him down and holding him tightly, a hand covering the younger man's mouth as the barrier in front of Orochi shattered and a barrage of black snakes fired themselves at the attacking creature.

"He's leading that thing away to give us a chance to run for it," Renji gasped, his heart pounding.

"If we move too soon, his sacrifice will be for nothing," Byakuya added, forcing his struggling cousin down again, "Wait, Tetsuya. As soon as it follows him, we will move."

Tetsuya calmed under his cousin's hands, but watched, white-faced as Orochi's snakes obscured his movements, giving him time to flash step away. The creature turned as the shinigami moved, striking a glancing blow and sending Orochi tumbling onto the beach. He rolled to his feet instantly, flash stepping away, just as the beast's clawed hand came down where he had been.

"Nice try, but you're too damned slow!" Orochi hissed furiously, flash stepping for the forest.

"_Shades_!" whispered Tetsuya, going even paler at seeing the speed at which the monster followed, "Byakuya-sama, he cannot possibly outrun that! We have to...!"

"We have to protect Kisho," Byakuya said, the words silencing Tetsuya instantly, "That is why he did this."

Tetsuya swallowed hard, forcing his fears down and tightening his hand around his sword.

"I will," the younger man said, his voice and body calming as the moment for action approached.

Outside the barrier, Orochi saw the creature closing in and loosed another volley of black snakes that surrounded the beast, curling around its legs and arms, biting down into the scaly flesh. The creature gave an enraged roar and loosed a blast of fiery breath, burning away the irritating snakes, then launched an attack of the same at the forest towards which Orochi was heading.

"Oh no!" breathed Tetsuya.

"Go! Move now!" Byakuya ordered him as the attack closed in on Orochi and crawled along the rocks in their direction, "Quickly! Before it reaches us!"

_Arashi_, Tetsuya thought, holding on tightly to Byakuya, Renji and Kisho, _Now!_

All four felt a dizzying sensation, then the heat of the beast's fire attack faded and they found themselves in a cool, wooded area, a safe distance from where the forest that Orochi had gone into was now ablaze. Byakuya glanced at Tetsuya, ready to warn him off of returning to look for their missing cousin, then read the set expression on his face and realized he needn't bother.

"You okay?" Renji asked the younger noble, setting an arm around his shoulders.

"I am fine," Tetsuya answered softly, "He is still alive. I feel it."

"R-right," Renji said, glancing at Byakuya, "I'm sure he got clear in time."

The redhead moved to Byakuya's side and reached down to tickle the chin of the baby in the clan leader's arms.

"So," he said softly, watching as Tetsuya moved to stand next to Arashi, where the stallion gazed down at the burning trees below them, "Is that wishful thinking or does he know something we don't?"

"For Tetsuya's sake," Byakuya said solemnly, "let us hope it is the former."

"You really want Orochi dead that badly?" Renji mused.

"That is not what I meant," Byakuya said quietly, "I meant that if Tetsuya can truly sense him when I cannot, then it means they have forged a connection that should never have happened."


End file.
